White Ribbon
by Haruka Mizumi
Summary: Higrashi, school of the rich and talented. Four families dominates the studentbody. Will that all change with the uproar of a certain ruby eyed boy? ShinnxOC, AthrunxCagalli, KiraxLacus and lots more!
1. It's War

Haruka: Hi hi! Omg, I am now on my second fanfic. I don't own Gundam Seed, so please don't sue me. Lol. Oh well, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter One

It's War!

Her fingers moved gracefully across the keys of the piano. The dynamics, the musicality of the pieces selected tonight was carefully chosen by the _genius _herself. That's what they called Ayame Kashino, the musical genius. She has won the eyes of many over the world at the age of fourteen, bringing about the rebirth of classical music to the audience. Now, at the age of sixteen, fame was no longer news to her. The music faded to stillness, and it was over. The performance ended in thundering applause. She stood up from the piano bench slowly; turning, she bowed to the audience. In return, cheers, whistles and flowers rewarded Ayame's effort.

Her violet eyes scanned the concert hall, somewhat disappointed. Her hopes were again tarnished. Her brother still hasn't shown up; yet her disappointment was drained when her eyes landed on the man sitting two rows from the stage within the concert hall. Their eyes met, and she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the warmness of his emerald orbs. Instantly, her memories flashed back to his commanding presence, his gentle touch, and the softness of his lips against hers. She took one last bow before disappearing behind the closed curtains.

The backstage was a zoo when Ayame stepped off. Screaming teenage girls tried to get autographs while boys tried to get a piece of her. She frowned. Cameras flashed in her eyes, she was deafened by the screeches in her ears. Her body froze at the scene. She backed away from the noise. _'It's so loud. Shut them up…shut them up!'_

"Come on Ayame, let's get you out of here."

Her eyes snapped open to his face. Athrun Zala had one arm around her shoulder. With the other, he tried to push past the crowd. His bodyguards did well in keeping the two safe, though the crowd went even wilder at the sight of the couple together again. Athrun stepped on the gas as soon as they were within the safety of his car. The trip was a silent one; none knew what to say to the other. Twice Ayame tried to start a conversation and twice sound failed to leave her throat.

With a jolt, the car pulled to a stop. Without a word, Athrun slipped out of his seat. Ayame followed, knowing where he took her. He was standing by the edge of a cliff, his navy blue hair drifted in the wind swiftly. She took a moment to observe his form. Athrun Zala hasn't changed a bit during the year and half that he had been absent from Japan.

He turned towards her with a soft smile. "Come here Ayame."

She did as she was told. Her eyes widened at the breathtaking view of Tokyo. Thousands of light brought life to the city. Ayame stared towards the enchanting glow, remembering the first time he took her there. She felt Athrun's arms around her body, and allowed him to embrace her close, comfortable only in his arms.

"I'm back." He whispered softly in her ear.

At that exact moment, Ayame broke down, having held back the tears for so long. "Thank god your back Athrun-kun. Thank god you are back."

* * *

"Did you hear?"

"Athrun-san is back!"

"It was all over the news last night."

"He was with Ayame-san at her concert."

"I thought they broke up!"

"Maybe they got back together?"

"No fair, Ayame-san hogs all the cute boys to herself."

"Shh! Here they come now!"

Higrashi, the school of the talented, in this case, the rich. It was once a place for those who stood out as the best, now it became a school of rich snobs. For some, money was the only reason they were able to get in, for others, pure talent was at stake. Now money determined your statues in the school, for the poor, popularity was out of the question. Four families, the Clyne, the Zala, The Attha and the Kashino, ruled Higrashi. The four basic groups that controlled the industries in Japan, thus, granting their children power within the school.

Ayame walked along side of Athrun. It's been a year since anyone has seen them together. After all, Athrun has been absent from the school for quit some time now. After the devastating news of the split between the two, Athrun took off for England, where he attended a private academy. From time to time, Ayame would speak with Athrun on the phone, but it still didn't fill the whole in her chest. Now that he was back, she was finally able to settle down.

"Shinn, look!" Lunamaria tagged at the edge of Shinn's shirt. "Athrun-senpai's back!"

Shinn didn't look up, his eyes was glued to the sketchbook in his hand. "Luna, would you stop moving? It's kind of hard to draw with you moving every thirty seconds."

"But Shinn, he's walking with Ayame-san!" Lunamaria went on.

"Yea, great." Shinn erased some parts of the outline.

"Isn't Ayame-san our age?"

Shinn set his sketch down, giving up. "She's been in all of my classes since I began here."

"Are you serious? Have you talked to her?" Lunamaria asked with excitement in her voice.

"Not really." Shinn began to pack up his things. "She doesn't talk much."

"Shinn!"

"What?" Shinn looked up, getting annoyed.

"You have to talk to her!"

"No." Shinn responded with a grunt. "I don't."

Turning, he began to walk towards his first class. Lunamaria trailed after him, her long red hair waving behind as she walked. (Her hair is long for now, in order to get the story to work.) To most, Lunamaria Hawke's hair was beautiful, in fact, her hair could go in comparison with Lacus Clyne's hair, the reason why so many was after her in the school. But she had eyes for only one man, Athrun Zala.

"Why?" She asked as they entered Shinn's first class.

"Because Ayame Kashino is nothing but a rich spoiled brat!" Shinn responded heatedly.

At that instant, the noisy classroom became silent. All eyes focused on Shinn, leaving him in the spotlight. As soon as the words left his lips, he wished he had never said it. Turning slowly, he saw, to his horror, Ayame sitting a couple of rows away from him, the seat beside the one he was assigned to only a couple of days ago. Athrun stood over her desk with a slight annoyed look on his face. Ayame, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned with what other people were saying about her behind her backs, in this case, in front of her face.

'_I am dead.' _Shinn had seen what the others had done to those who opposed the four families. They were either thrown out of the school, or beaten so badly that they transferred elsewhere. Now, having nearly the whole class hear him was of no benefit. Surely trouble would begin to look itself upon him soon, especially with Athrun Zala in the room. The bell run; saving Shinn's ass from being kicked, for now anyways.

Students returned to their individual seat. Athrun had no choice but to leave. For a moment, the upper classman stared at his schoolmate with a certain degree of coolness in his eyes. Though Shinn glared back with equal intensity, he was really shaking in his boots right now. Athrun passed by, seemingly without a word. _'Maybe he wouldn't do anything.' _

"Don't expect to last three days."

Spoke too soon. The irreversible happened when Athrun said those words. Shinn's heart sunk, this time, he had gotten himself into a pile of deep shit. He might as well dig a hole and burry himself now that the rest of his classmates heard what the _great _Athrun Zala said. He stood at the same spot for some time after Athrun left, feeling the piercing glares of his classmates feasting off his flesh. They were enjoying every last minute of this, he just know it.

"Shinn Asuka!"

He nearly jumped three feet high at the sound of his teacher's voice. She stood behind him, taping her foot impatiently. He quickly bowed to his sensei before taking a seat beside _her. _How could he have been so stupid? _'Well, look on the bright side, there's only a year until graduation.' _He thought miserably, during which time his life would be tormented. Looking towards the girl beside him, Shinn thought that Ayame Kashino looked pretty innocent for someone who've pranked and made so many lives a living hell. _'Looks can be deceiving.' _

At long last, the bell rung, signaling the end of a devastating period, during which Shinn felt like he suffocated through the silence. Everyone rushed out of the room to head to their next class. Some of which who knew Shinn from previous years now hid their faces from him, wanting not to become involved. After all, the target now is Shinn Asuka, and only him. They wouldn't want to put their necks on the line to get Athrun Zala angry.

Ayame slowly packed her things beside Shinn, having music next, she didn't care if she was late or not. Totally unaware of the stare Shinn was giving her. _'Maybe I should apologize.' _He thought, wanting not to make the situation worse. But then again, what would she care if he apologized or not, he was going to be forced to back out of this school soon anyways. _'No, I promised mother I wouldn't.' _Ayame turned, beginning to leave.

"Ayame-san!" She stopped, but did not turn to look at him. "I know what you're going to do to me, but mark my words, I will not back down. I'm here to stay until I graduate, so there's nothing you or anyone else can do to kick me out!"

His words slowly sunk into her mind. It was the first time anyone has challenged Athrun's punishment. Ayame swung her backpack over her shoulder without a word and left. Shinn stood, listening as her footsteps disappeared down the hall. Now he wondered why she didn't shout at him or even get violent at his rude remarks, but rather ignored his arrogance. At that précised moment, he realized Ayame might not be who he thought she was.

* * *

"He said that?"

"I can't believe he said that!"

"Right in front of Ayame-san too!"

"He's going to get it."

"Yes he is."

The gossip was going around the school faster than ever. By the end of the day, Shinn had gone from unknown to the most infamous guy in the school. It seemed as though everywhere he went, people glared at him. Throughout the day, he had avoided socializing with any of his friends, wanting not to drag them down with his rotting reputation. When the clock stroke three that afternoon, the chaos began. Shinn had walked into the art studio only to find all of his art shredded to pieces. Some of the papers that weren't destroyed were written over with permanent markers. Almost all of Shinn's art supplies were damaged, most of which burnt.

"Perfect." He grunted. "All that hard work!"

He couldn't help but get angry over the damage Athrun's followers did to his work. Growling, he picked up what was left of his things, knowing he would be able to do nothing more today. Sighing, he turned, leaving, unaware that he was being spied on. The destroyed art works, however, didn't signal the end. When he reached the place behind the school where he usually locked his bike, he found, to his devastation, that the bike he used as a source of transportation had been completely destroyed.

"This can't get any worse." He muttered under his breath.

"Shinn Asuka?"

'_Now what?' _He rolled his eyes. "Who's asking?"

"That's not important. I heard you caused quite a scene today Asuka-san."

"I really didn't mean to stir up anything." Shinn turned to find two of Athrun's henchmen, Haku and Gideon standing a couple of feet behind him. _'A day back and Zala has already been restored to his throne?' _

"But I gotta say, a low life like you even dared to talk about Ayame-san that way was pretty admirable." Haku went on, ignoring Shinn's words. "Say, he's pretty cute, isn't he?"

"Yea, my girl said so a couple of days ago." Gideon smirked. The two approached Shinn quickly. "Such a cute boy should be put on public display."

When Shinn realized what was happening, it was already too late. Gideon had slipped both arms under Shinn's armpits while Haku tied him up. Shinn tried to get out of Gideon's grip, but it was too strong. Gideon was, after all, the school's wrestling champ. And before Shinn knew what was happening, he was tied to the old _time tree _in front of the schoolyard, literally stripped to the bottom by Haku.

"Hey! What the hell? What's the deal here?" Shinn's screaming can be heard from a mile away.

"You are a smart boy Shinn, figure it out."

And it hit him. There was only five minutes of school left. When the bell signals the end of the school day, everybody would rush through the main gate to get home. And anybody that wanted to see him naked would be able to get a glimpse of how big Shinn's _thingy _is. To top it off, there's nothing Shinn can do to stop it. Haku and Gideon smirked as they walked off. Shinn bowed his head low, hoping that somehow, he would be able to hide his face from everyone. Growling, he silently plotted his revenge against Athrun Zala.

Shinn's breathing increased with each passing moment. Any minute now, the students were going to walk out and see him sitting there, naked. Shaking his head furiously, he tried to get ride of the blush on his cheeks. Soon it happened, the bell rung, and thousands of students rushed out of the school. It was noisy at first, but then, everything became silent as people gathered around him. Soon whispers broke out among the group that formed a circle around Shinn. Some girls blushed, others laughed. _'I'll never hear the end of this.' _Shinn thought miserably.

* * *

"Did you hear?"

"Shinn Asuka's stripped naked in the schoolyard."

"Oh my god. Did you see the size of his _thing_?"

"Let's go see!"

"Yes, let's go see!"

Ayame sat silently in front of her piano as the gossip around the school closed in on her. She wasn't one to butt into other people's business, but somehow, it concerned her when it came to Shinn's business. Shaking her head, she continued on with her practice, knowing it was probably Athrun's doing. Knowing Athrun, it was probably the lighter punishments the boy had inflected. She knew what Athrun was capable of once he was mad, and Shinn hadn't gotten to the point where Athrun was ready to do some _real _damage yet. So why was she so worried.

Sighing, she picked herself up from the piano bench, knowing somehow that her practice wasn't going to go right if she didn't see him freed from whatever he's tied to. Quickly, she followed the crowd to the schoolyard, having immediately located Shinn's whereabouts judging by the huge circle that her fellow classmates had formed. _'Where are the teachers when you need them?' _She rolled her eyes, knowing that even the teachers wouldn't be able to stop it if they wanted. One word from Patrick Zala, Athrun's father, would mean their jobs were at stake.

Come to think of it, it really was inhumane to have Shinn put up with all of this. His former friends threw rude remarks at him, and none came to his aid. Ayame squeezed past the crowd just in time to see a boy fire a range of insulting words to Shinn. Having had the same class with Shinn throughout school, Ayame had come to realize that he wasn't someone to take insults lightly. But now, he was silent with shame. Seeing the scene in front of her made her want to do something about it, but setting him free would mean apposing Athrun.

"Get out of my way you bastards!"

Turning, Ayame found a girl she recognized to be Lunamaria Hawke marching through the crowds with a towel and a knife in hand. For that, Ayame was somewhat thankful to a degree. At least someone came to Shinn's aid. Quickly, Lunamaria wrapped the towel around Shinn's body and cut him loose of the ropes that banded him to the tree. Some students in the crowd made wolf howls while others whistled.

"Looks like his bitch is coming to the rescue!"

Ayame frowned at the boy beside her, immediately shutting him up. Slowly, Lunamaria lifted Shinn's body, glaring as she shoved past the crowd. Luckily, nobody tried to stop her. Ayame watched as the two disappeared within the school, knowing that Shinn would at least be able to change into his gym strips before returning home. Across from her, she saw Athrun watching with a smirk on his face. Things were bound to get out of hands sooner or later.

"Do you see what happens when people oppose Athrun-san?"

"Yea, wouldn't want to be in Asuka's shoes."

"Wouldn't want to be near him either."

"Let's see what happens next."

Kira signed as he watched the parting crowd, knowing another victim had been hurt through Athrun's games. Even though Athrun Zala was his best friend, sometimes, he did not approve of Athrun's actions. But then again, he knew it wasn't Athrun's idea. Shaking his head, he saw, to his surprise, that Ayame was amongst the crowd. He blinked, wondering what she was doing all the way out here. After all, Ayame wasn't usually one to care of such matter.

"Konnichiwa Ayame-chan." He greeted warmly.

Ayame peeled her gaze from Athrun to find Kira standing only a few feet away from her. "Kira-kun." She bowed politely to him.

"I didn't know you were one to enjoy Athrun's pranks."

"I'm not." She slapped a hand over her mouth as soon as the words left her lips, wishing she had never said anything on the matter.

"What are you here for then?" Kira prayed, even though he had already seen the answer in her eyes.

"I was…" She quickly thought of a cover. "Looking for Lacus-chan!"

For a moment there was silence. Kira didn't want to fire the confrontation at Ayame, but he knew it had to be done. "It's okay to open your feelings to others Ayame-chan. I'm sure all Athrun want…" He paused. "Is for you to be happy."

With those words said, he left, leaving Ayame to figure out her own feelings. He had watched Ayame and Athrun's relationship grow from the beginning, they were happy once. They were there for each other during good and bad times, but somehow, their bond with each other grew farther and farther apart. The problem lies within Ayame's heart, after all this time; she was still unwilling to open up to anyone, even Athrun. He first saw the conflict within their relationship a year and half ago, that one dreadful day that ended their relationship. The next morning, Athrun had up and left without as much as a good-bye. In the end, he guessed that Athrun too, grew tired of constantly trying to surpass that shell that seemed to have held Ayame in prison.

"When will that barrier break Ayame-chan?"

* * *

"It's okay if you want to skip tomorrow Shinn." Lunamaria said as the two walked home. "It's a Friday tomorrow. I can find out your homework for you if you want."

Their faces were greeted by much laughter when they left the school. Lunamaria knew it was going to be hard for Shinn tomorrow, knowing what Higrashi was capable of. Nonetheless, she still couldn't help but blame Athrun's henchmen for the matter instead of blaming the _prince _himself.

Shinn shook his head. "No. I've got lots of things to do tomorrow."

Lunamaria stopped dead in her tracks. "After what they did to you? Shinn Asuka! Tell me you're not thinking of going back there!"

"I have to. It's what my mother would have wanted." Shinn smiled a little. "Besides, it can't be that bad."

"Are you listening to yourself? There's no telling what Haku and Gideon are planning tomorrow. And that Kashino girl! You know, this really is all her fault!" Lunamaria growled. "None of this would have happened if it weren't for her."

Shinn frowned. "This really has nothing to do with Ayame-san."

"What are you talking about? She dragged you into this!"

He shook his head. "No Luna, I dragged myself into this."

Lunamaria's eyes widened. "Are you standing up for that girl?"

"Luna…"

"I can't believe you Shinn! After what she did to you, you are still standing up for her?"

"It's not like that! I'm not standing up for anyone!" Shinn argued back.

"Sure as hell didn't seem like it!" Lunamaria growled. "What the hell is up with this Kashino girl? Does all the boys she come in contact with just automatically droll over her like she's some kind of a naked slut or something?"

"Luna, stop it." Shinn warned.

She didn't seem to be listening. "And just because she dated Athrun Zala and has money down her pants, it makes her the ruler of Higrashi? I'm so sick and tired of hearing her name! She probably bought herself all that fame, seeing as though she's the only daughter of the Kashino family!"

"Shut up!" The words were out of Shinn's mouth before he could stop it. He didn't know what drove him into saying the things he said to his friend, but it somehow made him uncomfortable every time someone mentions Ayame's name.

"What…?"

"I-I-I didn't mean it." Shinn tried to apologize.

"You're…" Lunamaria looked towards Shinn in complete shock. Never had she thought that her friend would defend someone he barely knew. "You know what Shinn? Whatever."

With that, she walked off, leaving Shinn standing in the middle of the street looking like an idiot. That night, Shinn tired to call Lunamaria, but she would hang up every time she hears his voice, until finally, he gave up. Sitting on his bed now, he thought he better give her some time to think things over before he rushes to apologize to her. Shaking his head, he sunk into his pillow, slowly drifting into a deep sleep.

The next day at school didn't exactly go as planned. Some of his friends still avoided eye contact with him, which Shinn could care less now, but on top of that, whispers about him had spread out the school. Those who haven't seen his public display of nudity yesterday were quickly informed of the incident that had occurred. And Lunamaria had put him on the silent treatment. Beside the social isolation and the death glares, Shinn had found the rest quit bearable.

He had made through the whole morning without much problem, now all he has to do is make sure he survives the rest of the day. Thus far, no one has made it through the third day of Athrun's prank, now he wondered if Zala's henchmen would give up if he were to last more than three days in the school. Looking around with his boxed lunch, he found, much to his displeasure, that Meyrin, Lunamaria's younger sister, was staring at him with an intense glare.

Things seemed to be going back to normal though, now that Athrun has returned. Not far from him, he saw Ayame sitting with her usual group of friends. It was there did he see her actually socializing with another. She had been quiet, and mostly kept to herself during the time that Athrun had been absent. Now that he was back, she seemed somewhat _happier_.

Just when he thought the war was settling down, he heard a scream. Turning quickly towards the direction where Lunamaria and Meyrin sat, he found that they had somehow gotten into a fight with some upperclassman. Growling, he marched towards his friends, knowing immediately that they must have gotten into trouble because of him.

There, he saw, to his horror, an older girl who he recognized immediately as Natasha standing over Lunamaria with a pair of scissors. Blow her; Lunamaria clenched her once long and beautiful hair, shaking in tears. Laughing manically, Natasha raised the sharp object again; she grabbed a handful of Lunamaria's hair and begun to cut. Meyrin tried to stop this madness, but Natasha's friends were holding down the poor girl.

"This'll teach you a lesson to chose your boyfriend carefully next time." She laughed as she snipped off another handful of Luna's hair.

"You bitch!" Shinn had, once again, done the unthinkable when he tackled the girl down. The scissors fell out of Natasha's hand as she fell to the ground.

Immediately, Gideon pulled Shinn off of Natasha. Growling, Shinn delivered a hard punch into Gideon's jaws, sending the elder boy flying backwards into a tree. Through all the madness and fighting, a crowd managed to gather itself around the group that now fought. The schoolyard was soon echoed with '_fight fight fight.' _Those who weren't involved became involved as students ganged up to bring Shinn down. Haku and another boy held Shinn firmly to the ground just as Natasha picked up her scissors again.

"Don't want to see your little girlfriend in pain huh?" She said as she carried on with the cutting, shredding Lunamaria's head of her beautiful hair. "Now she's really going to get it!"

"Stop this at once!"

The crowd parted to revel a rather fragile looking girl. She was the songstress of the school, the admirable Lacus Clyne. Her blue eyes reflected anger as she stared towards Natasha in shame. She approached the girl, her pink hair swayed as she walked. Behind her, Kira Attha and Athrun Zala followed, wanting to know what all the commotion was about.

"How shameful. You are supposed to be setting an example for the juniors, Natasha. Instead, you pull something like this." Lacus frowned. "You let go of that young lady's hair right now!"

"But Lacus-san, Athrun-san-" Natasha tried to bite her way out of this one.

"Oh no you don't." Athrun raised his hands in defense. "Don't you dump this one on me. I didn't say anything about punishing the girl. You did this on your own free will." He said calmly, yet his tone alone was enough to intimidate her.

Without another word, Natasha let go of Lunamaria's hair. "Now leave this place, and stay far, far away from this girl." Lacus warned.

At that, Natasha left, mumbling foal words under her breath. Kira immediately ordered Haku to take his weight off of Shinn while Athrun stood, untouched by the event. The anger that filled Shinn's head, however, was unresolved. He shoved past Kira and headed straight for Athrun Zala, within seconds, Shinn was engaged in another fight with the upperclassman. The young boy gripped his elder by the collar, bringing Athrun closer to his face.

"If you want to get even with me then you go for me! Stay the hell away from my friends!" His actions had completely awed the students; no one in the history of Higrashi had dared to treat the great Athrun Zala this way before.

Athrun, however, did not show any signs of panic, nor did he feel threatened by the position he was in. Judging by the way Shinn held him, he guessed that the young boy didn't catch a word of the conversation that ended only seconds ago. Slowly, Athrun pushed Shinn's hand off of his collar, taking a step back; he straightened out the wrinkles on his clothes first before turning back to Shinn.

"I assure you Shinn Asuka." There, he addressed him formally to show his sincerity. "That the only person I want outis _you_. Whatever happens to your friends is not my doing." He smirked, "The good news is, your will and courage to stay in this school has earned by respect." Without as much as another glance at the lower classman, he past him, "The bad news is, I will double the amount of pain to take you _out._" He said as he walked away.

Shinn stood, shaken. Only a moment ago, he had Athrun Zala in his grip, ready to rip him apart. Now he was simply standing there, not knowing what to do, or what he was doing to begin with. Not only did he offend Athrun, but this time, openly in front of the school. Looking around now, he saw some students throw him dirty looks while others simply stared at him with their mouths wide open. The public display had come to an end, and Shinn knew for a fact that by the end of that day, everybody at school was going to hear about his little outburst. He nearly smacked himself on the head for being so brainless. What was he thinking at the time he ceased Athrun in his grip? Had he actually thought he was going to get away with it?

"Kira, do something." Lacus urged, eyeing the lower classman with sympathy.

"Athrun's business…will always be Athrun's business." Kira looked towards the direction where Athrun disappeared off to, knowing exactly where he was headed. "Unless _she _can persuade him to change his mind, Shinn Asuka will only face further torture in the future."

* * *

Ayame sat back down on her piano bench, having saw the whole incident on the second floor, she had no intension whatsoever to stick her nose into other people's business. While the school gossiped over what's to happen to Shinn Asuka, she practiced her music, drowning their voices from her mind.

Truth be told, she couldn't stand loud noises. Every time she's in a crowded area where noises boomed, she felt like running away. For the past year and half, she had been under the watchful eyes of her psychologist, the exact reason why Athrun _had _to leave her. Their relationship hadn't gone well at all. To the media, they might be _thy _hottest couple of their time, but underneath all the false love, both were struggling to bond with one and another.

True, Athrun cared about her a lot, but as time went on, she started shutting herself more and more in her room. Gradually, they saw each other less and less, and their time together turned from enjoyable to just plain boring. She was struggling to coop with the stress, Athrun could tell, but it drove him nuts that she wouldn't allow him to share some of that pressure. One day, it happened, her mind had simply snapped.

Athrun stared at her from the doorway, remembering that horrible time long ago. For a couple of days Ayame had locked herself in her room, refusing to open the door to anyone. And when he came to see her, it was as if she did not recognize him. It pained him to see her that way. So that night, he sat there, holding her, comforting her, telling her everything was going to be alright. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rid of the terrified look in her eyes, or the voided stare she gave him when he spoke. And it was there did he realize, that the relation they held was empty. He wasn't the one able to break her free of her fears or loneliness. He wasn't one to bring a smile to her face. So the next day, he packed up and left, knowing she needed time to recover from it all, and him, time to forget about her.

"Athrun-kun?"

Her sudden voice almost made him jump. He smiled a little, entering. "Hmm?"

She glanced out the window one last time, towards the boy with jet-black hair, and thought about the pros and cons of the words about to be spoken. Then weighing her options, she thought it would be better if she waited a little for Athrun to calm down. Because she knew, even though Athrun didn't show it, he was offended by Shinn's actions.

"Never mind."

* * *

The two teenagers returned home that afternoon with wounds all over their body. Lunamaria's skull had turned red from Natasha's heavy hand. Shinn's body held sever bruises from the fight he had engaged in, lucky, his face was undamaged, though he did feel like his jaw was about to fall off.

Locking the door behind him, Shinn decided that it was time for him to cut off all social relations with his friends, knowing they would only be hurt. Despite the pain and bruising, he knew he still had to get to work, for it would be impossible to get through the rest of the week if he were to cut back. Shaking his head, he picked himself up from the floor and headed into the bathroom to clean the dry blood off.

Life had been hard since the accident that took his family away, now all that's left of the Asuka family was Shinn himself. Having had lived a good portion of his life by himself, he was used to the idea of balancing school life and work. Looking back, Shinn supposed that his attitude towards the people from his school included some despise, perhaps the reason why he spoke out against Ayame Kashino yesterday. _'I only get five hundred dollars allowance a month!' _He rolled his eyes at the conversation he had overheard from some of the girls from his class.

"People like them…would never understand."

"So you're going to come home late tonight then?"

"Yes. Sorry Athrun."

"No, it's okay. We can catch up some other time then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Ayame hung up with some guilt. She had lied to Athrun once again. It was so unlike her to tell him she was going to the library to study, and then run off to be alone somewhere. But lately, she found herself making up more and more excuses. Sighing, she turned down the alley of a crowded street downtown. _'No.' _She thought. _'Too loud.' _Her eyes traveled from one window to the other, trying to find a quieter place. Suddenly, her eyes landed on a nearby cafe. Looking through the glass, she found only a few men sitting by the window.

"Might as well."

Upon entering the small café, she found, that most people where chattering quietly to themselves, somewhat in pairs or groups of three. Some glanced up at her as she entered, while others chose to take no notice. Looking around, she spotted a small table for two and sat herself down. Sighing, she pulled out a laptop from her briefcase and began typing away at her homework.

"Hey there, what can I get you today?"

Ayame peeled her eyes away from the computer screen, only to find a pair of deep blue orbs staring back at her. She blinked at the blond boy for a moment, as though deep in thought. Where have she seen this boy before?

"Coffee please."

"Anything else?" The boy asked politely.

"No, that would be all thank you."

That's it, she remembered him! His name was Rey za Barer, one of her classmates. Blinking, she wondered what Rey was doing working in a place like this. According to the school, most of the people attending Higrashi was either swimming in money, or got in by scholarship, and by the looks of it, Rey was of the latter. Blinking, she wondered what Rey's talent was, for Higrashi wouldn't consider taking him in if he hadn't proved himself worthy of the school policy. Shaking her head clear of the thought, she focused back on her schoolwork.

Ten minutes passed and nobody came. Once again, Ayame glanced up; beginning to wonder what had happened to the order she placed. Out of curiosity, she glanced behind the counter, to find the unexpected face of Meyrin Hawke gawking at her. She blinked, now realizing that the coffee was probably going to be put on hold for another five minutes or so, seeing as though the sister of Lunamaria Hawke was probably not going to be on friendly terms with her after what happened at school only a couple of hours ago.

"Ayame-san, did you order the coffee?"

She almost jumped at the voice. Turning to her left, she spotted, yet another surprise waiting for her. Shinn Asuka stood in what appeared to be the café's uniform; he wore black pants matched by a collared black shirt, completing the outfit with a little black notepad in hand. The boy glanced at her with a curious look in his eyes, wondering what the all-mighty Ayame Kashino is doing in a place like this.

"Eh…yea."

"Just a minute."

Shinn returned about a minute later, holding a dark blue mug in one hand with a coffee pot in the other. He gave a fake smile and poured some dark liquid into the mug before placing the black coffee down beside her. He tilted his head a little, glancing over her shoulder at what she was typing away on her laptop, and found, that she was patching up the history homework that the teacher had assigned that night. Thinking back, he figured he better get started on the research paper he was suppose to finish for tomorrow as well.

"What?"

Glancing down, he found a pair of intense violet eyes staring at him with a questioning flare. Quickly, he looked for an excuse. "The coffee here is pretty strong. You won't be able to fall asleep if you gulp that thing down." He almost slapped himself. _'How lame was that?' _

She blinked. "Oh…eh…thanks for the advice."

"Would that be all?"

"Yes. Thank you." She replied without looking up.

He smiled a little before rejoining his friends behind the counter. Ayame stole another glance towards his direction to find Meyrin jabbing Shinn in the rubs while exchanging furious whispers with him. _'Of course she's going to nag at him. Her sister's hair…'_ She stopped at the thought. Suddenly, she didn't want to be there anymore.

She took another sip of coffee and frowned. The liquid was indeed strong. She set the mug back down, deciding she would finish it later; or if it got cold, maybe she could get another one. Her eyes darted back to her computer screen as she saved her documents.

For a café, it was awfully quiet. Glancing up, she found Shinn waiting only a few tables across from hers. For a moment their eyes met, a blush immediately crept onto her cheeks. She looked back down, embarrassed.

In another minute, Shinn was at her table again, dropping off half a cup of milk. She glanced at the small jug, somewhat confused. "What's this for?"

"Your coffee."

"Oh." She stared at the milk blankly. No one had brought her sided milk before. "Thank you."

He smiled a little. "So how was your day?" He attempted at conversation again.

"It's ok." She said plainly, lifting the milk jug that Shinn brought her.

"Hey wait." Shinn rested a hand over hers to stop her from pouring the milk into the coffee.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Someone told me that if you make a wish before pouring your milk into your coffee, your wish may be granted if the coffee spins clockwise." He smiled a little. "Want to test it out?" He said as he removed his hand from hers.

Ayame stayed in the same position for several moments, milk jug raised over her cup of coffee. Then, shaking her head, she placed the small container back down. "I don't believe in that stuff."

"Oh." He replied stiffly, scratching the back of his head.

She gave a laugh at his reaction. Looking past his shoulder, she saw that some costumers were mentioning for him to bring them more coffee. Judging by the number of raised empty cups, Ayame guessed Shinn wouldn't be back at her table for a _very_ long time.

"I think you better get back to work." She suggested.

Turning back, Shinn was stun by the number of people he had missed on his way over. "Hold your horses, I'm coming." He said with a hint of annoyance. Turning, he hurried towards the nearest table with his coffee pot.

With her left hand, she shut her laptop off. Pulling out her wallet with her right, she saw that she had ran out of change. Sighing, she pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and left it on the table. Ayame decided it was time to call it a night. Standing up, she turned to take one last glance around the small café. Her gaze landed on the ruby-eyed boy and a small smile crept up to her lips as she exited. Maybe she'll come back again, for the coffee of course. That day, she left that small café, feeling somewhat happier.

After much confusion, Shinn had finally brought the right drinks to their table. Smiling somewhat proudly to himself, he turned back to see if Ayame was doing all right, only to find her seat empty. _'Probably left a while ago.' _He wondered over to her table. _'What the heck?' _His eyes widened as he saw the fifty-dollar bill. _'This is way too much!' _

Quickly, he raced out the door with the money gripped tightly in his hand. Among the busy streets of Tokyo, Ayame Kashino's form was nowhere to be found. He glanced up and down the street, trying to catch a glimpse of her, but she was already gone.

"Guess I'll have to give this back to her at school." Glancing back down at the paper bill in his hand, he felt that he had indeed misjudged her.

* * *

Haruka: Well, that's the end of the first chapter. Now I gotta run. I have a Social Studies final today!


	2. Hope

Chapter Two

Hope

"Someone told me that if you make a wish before pouring your milk into your coffee, your wish may be granted if the coffee spins clockwise."

She shook her head free of his words. It was Monday, and Ayame has avoided most of her friends on the weekend. Sighing a little, she sat down in her first block, History. Glancing over beside her, she found, to her surprise, that Shinn's seat was empty. _'That's strange. He's never late.' _She closed her eyes and leaned back against her chair. _'Probably given up and gone back home.' _It had always been that way; no one had stayed in Higrashi after crossing paths with Athrun. Up to now anyways.

"You'll fall if you keep leaning like that."

And she did, straight back towards the desk behind her. Lucky for Ayame, Shinn's fast reflexes got the better of the situation before any real damage was done. He got a hold of the back of her chair and stopped her before she was able to fall.

"See what I mean?" He said a-matter-of-factly. His face was inches from hers.

Ayame frowned. "Let go of me."

"Anything you say _princess_."

He withdrew his hand from the chair's support, letting her fall freely. With a loud thud, Ayame's chair landed on the cement floor. She blinked a couple of times to digest what had just happened before the throbbing pain hit her body. She quickly sat up, sending a glare towards Shinn, who, by now, was wiping his face free of the tears that came from his laughter.

Her violet eyes narrowed. "What the hell was that for?"

"What? You said to let go." Shinn smirked. "Besides, you owe me."

"What?" She searched the back of her mind. He couldn't have meant the coffee, she remembered _over_ paying for that. "I don't owe you anything!"

"Hey, I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in right now if it weren't for you. The least you can manage is a _sorry_."

Ayame raised an eyebrow. _'Was this guy for real?' _

"Isn't it dirty down there? Do you plan to sit there all day?" Shinn wondered. Then, seeing no reactions from her, he grabbed a hold of her arm and lifted her back up. "Gee, for a musical _genius, _you sure have a tendency to drift off."

_'How is it possible for someone to remain so happy all the time?' _She stared at him with wondrous eyes.

"Hey, did that fall somehow cripple you or something?" He waved his hand in front of her face a couple of times, trying to get her attention. "Hello? Earth to Ayame!"

She brushed his hand off roughly. "I never knew you talked so much."

Shinn smiled a little. "I never knew how little you speak."

She looked at him with an amused eye. Shaking her head, she pulled her chair back up and placed herself in the seat without a word. Shinn smiled a little before taking a seat next to her. It was still quit early in the morning, so the chances of anyone appearing in the classroom were slim to none. Suddenly remembering why he had come, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out some paper bills.

"Here." He said as he placed the money on her desk. "The change from the coffee."

Ayame looked from the money to Shinn, then back to the money again. "What was given out," She said slowly, pushing the money to his end of the desk. "Will _not_ be taken back."

"But this is too much."

"Consider me a stupid costumer then." She ended the conversation.

Shinn sighed, knowing she probably wouldn't have taken it back anyways. "If you…say so."

"Shinn."

Looking past his shoulder, Ayame found a red haired girl standing by the door. Immediately, she recognized her to be Lunamaria Hawke, though now she had short hair that reached just above her shoulder. Shinn turned to his friend with a slight smile. Luna's eyes, however, was not on Shinn. Her piercing gaze was on the girl that had been socializing with her friend a couple of minutes ago.

"A word please."

"I'm listening." Shinn smiled a little.

"_Privately_." Lunamaria gave Ayame a look that suggested she was an outcast. "Let's go."

Thought it wasn't Shinn who got up first, but Ayame. Now days, it's impossible to find a private place in Higrashi, so she decided to withdraw herself from the classroom for the two to take advantage of the privacy. Lunamaria fixed Ayame with an intense glare as she walked by, never letting the girl leave her sight.

Shinn gave a fake cough to get her attention. "So…?"

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?" Lunamaria questioned. "People like _us_, don't socialize with _her_ kind."

Shinn looked away, knowing what's coming, and somewhat annoyed at the topic. "Ayame-san really is no different from us."

"Stop fooling yourself Shinn. She belongs in the upper rank. People like _her_…" Lunamaria's eyes narrowed. "Will _never _go out of their way to get mixed up with us."

* * *

Glancing towards Ayame, Lacus wondered if the girl was really all right now. After the trauma a year and half ago, it really was hard to say if the girl she had come to admire had recovered from it all.

_konna ni tsumetai tobari no fukaku de_

_anata wa hitori de nemutteru_

_inori no utagoe sabishii nohara wo_

_chiisa na hikari ga terashiteta_

_(Beneath a veil so cold,_

_You deeply sleep, all alone_

_The melody of prayer; on the lonely fields,_

_a little light shined)_

Lacus's voice echoed through the hallway. Many stopped in their tracks to listen to the sound of her voice combined with Ayame's flawless music. Ayame closed her eyes, her fingers guiding her across the keys. Deep in her mind, _his _words echoed over and over again.

_anata no yume wo miteta_

_kodomo no you ni waratteta_

_natsukashiku mada tooku_

_sore wa mirai no yakusoku_

_(I watched as you dreamed_

_You laughed like a child_

_So dear, and yet so far -_

_That is the promise of our future)_

"I know what you're going to do to me, but mark my words, I will not back down. I'm here to stay until I graduate, so there's nothing you or anyone else can do to kick me out!"

_itsuka midori no asa ni_

_itsuka tadoritsukeru to_

_fuyugareta kono sora wo_

_shinjiteiru kara_

_Fields of hope_

_(That one day, on a green morning,_

_One day, we will make it there_

_Because in this wintered sky_

_We still believe_

_Fields of Hope)

* * *

_

"Did you see?"

"They were together."

"Talking."

"What about Athrun-san?"

"Yes, what about Athrun-san?"

Amongst the hallways was the _prince_ himself. Though he tried to ignore all the whispers behind his back, his heart told him otherwise. Turning, he found a couple of girls staring at him while giggling amongst themselves. _'I could have any of these girls. So why…?' _He stopped, suddenly forgetting where he was going. _'Why?' _His thoughts, however, was interrupted by the collision of another's body against his. He stumbled a few steps backwards, quickly regaining his balance.

"Did I walk into a wall?"

Looking down, he found a blond girl sitting on the floor with a pile of books scattered around her. "No, just me." He smiled a little, extending a hand in an attempt to help her up.

She, however, wasn't one to forgive so quickly. "This is a hallway. If you are going to be a road block, go on the streets." She said while gathering her books.

"Sorry." Bending, Athrun proceeded to help her. He gave a little smile when he picked up her timetable, seeing that this girl was in most of his classes. "First day?" He assumed.

"That's really none of your business." The girl said sharply as she snatched the timetable from his hands.

Athrun chuckled. "Must be." He had seen countless newbies starting in Higrashi with the same attitude. "Need help getting around?"

"No, I'll live." She said as she turned, hurrying off.

He smiled a little. "Good luck."

His smile faded though, as he turned to the opposite direction of where the girl was headed, towards the music wing. Like it or not, there were still unfinished business. Looking back at the past year, his life hasn't exactly been easy. He had been fooling himself, telling him each and every day that Ayame Kashino was still in love with him, and was probably waiting in Japan for him to get back. He thought she would be okay, that she would go back to the person he knew, but the reality of things was, Ayame wasn't getting better, her conditions had turned worse. That night, when he saw her on stage, he realized that her fragile body was barely holding up. Even though she might look calm on the surface, she was breaking down inside. And it pained him to see that there was _nothing_ he could do to help her.

_umarete kita hi ni dakishimete kureta_

_yasashii ano te wo sagashiteru_

_inori no utagoe hitotsu kiete mata hajimaru_

_tayorinaku setsunaku tsuzuku_

_(On the day we were born, we were embraced_

_And now we search for those gentle hands again_

_The melody of prayer; one vanishes,_

_And all begins again; a powerless, painful continuation)_

He listened outside of the classroom. Lacus Clyne never ceased to amuse him. It was the music that seemed strange and out of line. Ayame was playing all the right notes, he can tell, but there was a certain edginess to her notes that made the song itself sorrowful.

"Itsuka midori no asa-" Lacus suddenly stopped.

So did the music. Ayame's eyes widened, realizing the unmistaken truth. She had hit a wrong note. Lacus glanced at the girl, a worried expression on her face, knowing for a fact that the _genius_ herself had never made a mistake before.

"Is something wrong?" Lacus spoke, her voice held a certain degree of demand.

Athrun stood by the door, listening in on the conversation. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but he thought if Ayame wouldn't open up to him, then maybe she would open up to Lacus. The songstress watched as Ayame closed up the cover to the keys and gathered her music, obviously wanting to avoid the conversation.

"You can't shut us out forever." Lacus placed a hand on Ayame's to stop her from whatever she was doing. "Let us help you."

She was silent for some time. "You can't." Looking up, she glanced into the elder girl's eyes. Lacus took a step back, never had she seen the girl with such a crazed look in her eyes. "Nobody can…"

Quickly, Ayame got up, heading for the door, leaving her music behind. Athrun stepped in, blocking her path. Their eyes met, and she couldn't help but look away from his stare. Lacus got the message, knowing the two had questions that can only be answered within each other. So she left, wanting to give that little time they desperately need to work things out. An uncomfortable silence shouldered its way into the two as soon as Lacus closed the door to the empty classroom. After much thought, she advanced forward, wrapping her arms around his familiar body, afraid that he might vanish if she were to let go.

"Is it…too late to get back together?" She asked slowly.

There was a pause. He glanced down at the girl he once loved, for a moment tempted by her. But then, what good would he be doing by getting back with her? They would just end up hurting each other. So with what little courage he had left, he said those words he thought he would never say.

"Yea. It's too late."

* * *

"How's she doing?" Kira asked during lunchtime.

"Not so good." Lacus sighed, handing her boyfriend a box of sushi. "She's a mess."

"Make that the two of them." Kira mentioned towards Athrun, who hasn't said a word since this morning.

"He'll be fine. Her, I'm not so sure." Lacus watched as her boyfriend popped a sushi into his mouth. "I don't think she can hold up any longer."

But he wasn't listening. Instead, his eyes seemed to have taken interest in a rather distinguished subject. "How do you heal emotional wounds?"

"I don't know, how?" Lacus wondered, looking towards where Kira was staring, and the answer became clear to her.

"You find someone to mend your wounds."

* * *

_"Stop fooling yourself Shinn. She belongs in the upper rank. People like her will never go out of their way to get mixed up with us." _

Shinn gave a long sigh. Come to think of it, Lunamaria was right to some degree. Even if they built a relationship just as friends, there would be no outcome. But he couldn't stop himself from getting close to her. He was attracted to Ayame Kashino, he can tell that much. _'Come on, stop thinking about her!' _He resisted the urge to bang his head on the nearby wall; instead, he slapped a hand over his face to stop himself from thinking such nonsense. Without realizing it, he walked straight into someone.

"Sumimasen!" Shinn apologized quickly; bowing so low he could only see the other person's shoe.

"Asuka-san."

The voice seemed familiar to him. Glancing up, he saw the face of Athrun Zala standing there with a small frown. "You." Was all Shinn could manage to say before a couple joined Athrun.

"Did you find her?" The girl, who Shinn recognized to be Lacus Clyne, asked with worry written all over her face.

Athrun turned from Shinn's glare towards the two, shaking his head he answered. "I looked everywhere."

"Ayame isn't one to worry others. Maybe she's already gone back home." Kira suggested.

At the mention of Ayame's name, Shinn's ears perked up. Strange enough, she had been absent from all of her classes that afternoon. Shinn's first guess was that Ayame had been skipping class, but the last time she neglected her education was god knows when, so it wasn't possible for her to be skipping. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that it was none of his business. Looking towards the sky though, he noticed that it had begun to rain. The three upperclassmen had been speaking of Ayame's absence, so naturally, he became uninterested of the topic and left.

Outside, the rain that nuzzled his face had soon developed into a fully-grown storm. He was thankful to some degree that he had decided to bring an umbrella to school this morning. Down the street, people hurried to get out of the way of the storm. Then he wondered if she were still out, hiding in the corner of the city somewhere, avoiding the rain.

"It's none of my business." He told himself dumbly. But if it were truly none of his business, then why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

He shrunk deeper into the comfort of his warm jacket. It was cold. Then suddenly, something on the beach caught his eyes. It really did strike him as odd as to why someone would be sitting out on a day like this. Squinting his eyes closed, he saw that the girl seemed somewhat familiar to him. The curve of her back, her once flawless hair now soaked with water. Then it hit him.

"Ayame-san…"

* * *

She sat with her legs pulled up against her check, face buried into her knees. To many, Ayame Kashino may have been surrounded, but in reality, she was truly all alone. Once in a while, her body shook from the coolness of the torrent that soaked her back, but she could care less now.

Then it stopped. The harshness of the moist against her delicate skin simply vanished. Looking out, she saw that it was still raining, but she could no longer feel the pain. Confused, she glanced up to see that a black umbrella had been placed over her head.

"Shinn…"

"You'll catch a cold."

She rested her chin back onto her knees. "It doesn't matter." She replied bitterly.

Something was wrong, he could tell. "You didn't go to class this afternoon."

"So?"

He glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. "Ayame-san."

Her eyes darkened. "You don't understand me."

He sighed. "I didn't before, but I do now." He spoke, his eyes focused on the horizon of which the sun ceased to exist.

There was a pause. Seeing her this way reminded him of himself a couple of years back, when he lost his parents. It was raining that day as well, that tragic day when the _accident_ happened. He knew what she was going through. The horror of the Kashino family's condition had been all over the news for the past five years. He heard of how Ayame's mother passed away when she was only a child, of what her stepfather did to her brother, and of the split between the family fortune.

There was silence. Ayame stared at him, lost. Her life had been a mess up to this point, it seemed as though everything was against her wishes. The pressure had pushed her to the point where she was ready to take her own life. She was so unsure, but somehow, when she glanced into Shinn's eyes, she felt a small part of her that had been locked away long ago.

"You pretend like nothing's wrong, that nothing could hurt, or upset you. But really, you were the one being wounded, perhaps the reason why you push everyone away. After all, what is there to loose if there's nothing left to give?" He glanced to find her eyes swollen with the tears she was trying to hold back. "Then you realize just how much you've lost by acting the way you did, and you regret ever being the person you were."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. "It's okay to be afraid Ayame-san. It's okay to just be yourself instead of living up to the person the others expect you to be."

She reached out, encircling her arms around his waist, pulling him into a tight embrace. Shinn was caught off guard; his mind went blank for a moment, completely shocked by her actions. His eyes though, softened as he watched her shaken form. Her muffled sobs were heard as she cried softly into his chest.

He gently wrapped his arms around her small body, allowing her take comfort in his body. "So you won't have to regret anymore."

Despite the cold rain that had washed over their bodies that day, a new flame had began to burn deep inside of Ayame, the fire of hope.

* * *

Her hips swung to the slow music as she shifted weight from one foot to another. Suddenly, the beats picked up more paste as her feet moved to the dance steps. Her elegant fingers traced her perfectly curved body. Her golden eyes flared with expression as she let her partner put his hands all over her. Though she knew the Mambo consisted a large quantity of sex appeal, the man who had been appointed to her as her new partner still bothered her. None the less, it was the only way to impress the judges, so she did her best to ignore her partner's sexual harassment, mentally making a note to knock his front teeth out after she got this entrance exam over with. Suddenly, the music stopped.

"That's enough Attha-san."

Quickly, she stepped off to the side and waited as the five dance teachers looked down at their papers, adding up their scores. Four years ago, Cagalli Yula Attha would never set foot anywhere near anything that would make her seem girly, but one day, all her perspectives changed. She still remembered that day four years ago, when she first met _her._ Hikari Kashino was a beautiful woman, she can remember that much, the person who inspired her to the art of the Latin Dance. After Kashino-san's performance in America, Cagalli saw to it her dream to one day be just like her. So there she was, in the same school that Hikari Kashino had attended, hoping that her dreams might be achieved.

"Your skills are very unique, Cagalli-san." Natarle Badgiruel, head of the dance studio admitted. Immediately, a smile came upon Cagalli's eyes. "However." She glanced down at the sheets in her lap. "I'm not quite sure you meet our expectations."

Cagalli's face dropped. "I'm not quite sure I understand." What did they mean she doesn't quite meet their expectations? She was ranked one of the top dancers in her school back at Chicago! Why should it be any different here?

"What I mean is, your skills…don't come in comparison with Group A of our school. Therefore, I cannot place you in the top rank."

A vain was threatening to pop on Cagalli's head. She glared hard towards Natarle. "And who, may I ask, is in Group A?"

* * *

"Can you believe it!" Cagalli shouted inside the car. "They placed me in group B! Second ranking of dancers! Me!"

Kira raised an eyebrow. "That's a good thing, right?" He questioned, keeping his eyes on the road while they drove for home.

"No!"

The car suddenly jerked right before going back to its right course. Once again, Cagalli had succeeded in _almost _crashing Kira's car by her screaming demands. Kira was silent for a moment, knowing that if he spoke now, she would only get angrier. When it looked like Cagalli had gone back to her normal breathing rate, he spoke again.

"So…who's in group A?" He asked, though he already knew a couple that was for sure to be there.

" Fllay Allster, Athrun Zala and Ayame Kashino." Cagalli answered in a much calmer tune. "But someone told me that Ayame chick dropped a year ago, so she's probably not going to be a problem. Fllay Allster though, where have I heard that name before?" She pondered on the name for a minute. Kira gave a fake cough, and realization finally hit her. "Didn't you use to go out with her?"

"Hence the word '_use'_."

Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "So…what happened?"

"Not much." Kira said in somewhat a fake cheerful tune. "Turned out she was only playing me."

"Oh." Cagalli rolled her eyes. It was so typical of her twin brother to be fooled. "Well I heard she's all over this Athrun guy now."

"Really?" Though he sound somewhat unsurprised. "Well Athrun _is_ looking for a new partner. According to Natarle-sensei, Fllay Allster is leeching onto Athrun-kun, one, because he's good looking, and two, because he can carry her to the top."

"I thought she's already at the top." Cagalli looked towards Kira curiously.

"I mean internationally."

Cagalli gave Kira a blank look, either not getting it, or refusing the fact that Athrun was going worldwide. "Internationally?" She repeated.

"Honestly, do they not have TV in that private school of yours?"

Cagalli slapped Kira in the arm, nearly making him crash for the second time that day. Even though the twins hasn't been there for each other at all, seeing as though Cagalli moved to the U.S under her father's wishes while Kira stayed in Japan, their relationship with one and another had been closer than ever.

"Wait a minute, isn't this Athrun character your…"

"Best friend." Kira finished off for her.

"Oh." Cagalli raised an amused eyebrow. There was a moment's silence, then. "I'm still listening." She said, somewhat interested.

"Athrun and Ayame went international a year and half ago, their skills showed great potential. With a few twists from Athrun's father, Patrick Zala, they were accepted into the international dance competition held in England that year as representatives of Japan."

Beside him, his sister listened intently. Then, leaning back against the seat of the car, she pretended she was uninterested in the subject. "If they were so great, how come they didn't come in first?"

Even though her head was turned towards the window beside the passenger seat, her gaze was still on Kira. She wanted to know more, but didn't want her _little _brother to know she cared. Kira, on the other hand, was totally aware of what his sister was trying to do. Thinking a few, he decided it wasn't in his best interest to blow her cover. So he went on.

"Well…" He said as he pulled into the driveway of their mansion. "Ayame withdrew from the competition a day before their show dance."

"Why?" She urged.

Kira paused, thinking of the right words to phrase what he was about to say. After much thought, he realized, that there were no right words to the sentence he was about to say. So he simply put it into the easiest dictum he can manage.

"She went nuts."

* * *

"Athrun-kun! Athrun-kun!"

The emerald-eyed boy sighed for the god knows how many time that day. Somehow, the news of his split with Ayame had gotten out of control. Athrun had been chased around the school numerous times by fan girls. When he finally thought he had slipped out of their sight, somebody else manages to find him. He prayed for it not to be some crazy chick that wants to marry him. Sighing, he turned around with his usual calm expression.

"Oh, Fllay-san. It's only you." Even though he didn't like the girl much, it still was a hell of a lot better than getting raped by a weirdo. "What can I do for you?" He asked politely.

"I heard what happened."

_'And here I thought god was on my side.' _He nearly slapped himself for not running while he had the chance. Instead, he settled for a somewhat fake smile. "News sure travel fast around here."

"Yea well, that's not what I'm here for." Fllay got straight to the point. "Now that you and Ayame are _toast_, I guess you won't be dancing together anymore huh?"

_'She sure has a way with words.'_ Athrun rolled his eyes.

"Since you and I are both in Group A." She went on, choosing not to notice Athrun's hint of annoyance. "Why don't we-?"

"Sumimasen." He apologized before giving a low bow. "But Ayame and I will continue the partnership."

If there was one thing Fllay Allster can't stand, it's people lying to her. "Cut the crap Athrun Zala." She had lost it. "You and I both know that Ayame Kashino withdrew a year ago from the program! She won't ever-"

"Ayame has not yet officially resigned." Athrun cut her off.

For a moment Fllay's face appeared more screwed than words could describe. Then, surprisingly, her expression turned calm. "Still protecting her?" Fllay smirked. "You know she won't dance anymore, at least not with _you_. Ayame Kashino can't get through a day without visiting my father. That freak."

At that, Athrun became tensed. He turned towards the girl, his eyes no longer held that soft gaze. A mask of iciness took over. "I warn you Fllay Allster, speak of Ayame in such way again, and I will make sure your life here is no more pleasant than the one you've left behind." With those words said, he started to walk away, but stopped halfway down the hall. "By the way, I'm quitting."

* * *

'_Not up to standards huh?' _Cagalli thought bitterly as she moved to the rhythm of the music. For the past twelve years, she had been living in New York, studying aboard a private school as her father, Uzumi Attha had wished. Still the tomboy she was, the only thing considered 'girly' that Cagalli actually comes in contract with was dancing. But no matter how hard she worked at developing her skills, she still didn't seem good enough.

"I'll show them!"

With that, she broke into a spin towards her right. By now, the dance studio was empty. Assuming that everyone had gone home, Cagalli didn't have her guard up about having people around. Which was exactly the reason why the sound of sliding doors brought her out of her concentration, causing her right foot to trip over her left. The end result of such messed up dance steps was Cagalli landing on another.

"Ashikarazu!" She quickly apologized, afraid to look at whom she had landed on.

"Funny how we keep bumping into each other." That voice seemed all too familiar.

Her eyes snapped open at that annoying chuckle to see that her face was only inches from Athrun's. "You again?" She screamed.

There was exactly two minutes of awkward silence before Athrun spoke. "I'd really like to lay here too, but you are crushing my lungs."

Finally realizing the position they were in, Cagalli quickly rolled off of Athrun, purposely crushing his right shoulder in the process. Athrun gave a low groan of pain before pushing himself off the floor, quickly moving his arm to see if it was broken.

"What are you doing here?" Cagalli questioned. "Are you stalking me or something?"

Athrun raised an eyebrow, checking her out from head to toe. "Yea, you might be a little bit too flat for that."

Big burn! A vain was threatening to pop on Cagalli's forehead. _'I'll show you what's flat! My fist!' _She thought angrily.

"You want to have coffee with me?"

Suddenly, all schemes of ripping him in half vanished. _'No! Say no! You barely know him!' _But his dazzling emerald eyes, his sexy body, his silky blue hair, how could _anyone_ resist that? She was tempted, very tempted by the idea.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

"So, you are a transfer from New York?" Athrun smiled a little, setting the mug down on the table. "No wonder your style is so different."

They had reached a café a couple of minutes ago, ordered some coffee and started talking. Well, mostly Cagalli talking anyways. Athrun had decided to be a good student and listen while the blond in front of him chattered away.

"Yea well…apparently, I'm not good enough." She sighed. "I get to choose my partner next week. They say this guy from Group A is _really_ good, I hope I get to work with him."

"And…who is this guy exactly?" Although Athrun already know the answer, he still couldn't help but ask.

She hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was looking, so they wouldn't mistaken her for one of Athrun's fan girls. "Athrun Zala of course." She blushed, lowering her voice. "Rumor has it he's looking for a new partner right now."

Athrun groaned in annoyance. _'Does everyone in the whole frickin school know?' _

"Though I do feel somewhat sorry for him."

He blinked. "Really? Why?"

"You know, getting chased around by all those people. He must know by now that all they want from him is fame." She glanced down at her mug. "It hurts to live a lie, knowing that when people compliment you, they only want something in return." Such words brought memories to her own past. "Must be tiring to be surrounded by people, yet be completely alone at the same time."

"Are you pitying him?"

"No, not pity." She shook her head. "I envy him."

Athrun gave her a confused look. "What is there to envy?"

Cagalli smiled a little, yet this smile seems distant and sad. "Despite the loneness, someone somewhere is glad that he was born, because in him, they've found their life worthwhile." He looked confused. She went on. "His skills showed people hope. Thousands of girls work hard each day for a chance to dance with _thy_ great Athrun Zala."

"Even though they'll probably never get the opportunity, they don't give up. For that, I envy Athrun-san, because he is able to give hope through something as simple as dancing. It must have been the same with Ayame-san. But people often don't realize how much hope they can give by doing what they do." She glanced up to find Athrun staring at her intensely. Blushing, she looked back down. "I guess I'm not making much sense."

There was silence. Never had Athrun thought of himself that way before, never. He had always thought what he was doing was pointless, and the only reason he was still dancing was to keep Ayame close. Now, after brushing Ayame off like it doesn't matter anymore, he seriously considered quitting. Yet this girl that he had met only a couple of days ago somehow convinced him to change his mind.

"You too…wish to dance with Athrun Zala?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes."

She didn't look up from the mucky liquid in her mug. Again, there was an awkward silence. For a moment, Athrun thought her reply would be _no._ She said herself that she envied Athrun's ability to motivate people. Then, there came a whisper, so low that he wasn't sure he heard it. Yet deep down, he knew what she said, and that answer gave him strength to dance, not only for himself, but the people whose hope rests within his hands.

"Ashikarazu. But I have to go now."

Before Cagalli had realized what was happening, the boy had up and left the café, having paid for the coffee ahead of times. A deep blush crept up to Cagalli's face as she sat there, thinking back to what she said to a complete stranger. _'Great, now he probably thinks I'm a weirdo.' _She thought miserably. Then, glancing up, her eyes widened, as if noticing for the first time that Athrun had left. Quickly, she raced out the door to catch up, but he was already nowhere to be found.

"I didn't even get…his name."

* * *

Haruka: Well, there you go! Chapter Two! The song was Feilds of Hope from Gundam Seed Destiny. Should I pair Athrun and Cagalli up as dance partners in my next chapter? Or should Ayame go back to dancing with Athrun? Please tell me in a review!


	3. Silent Confessions

Haruka: Sorry for the late update guys. -bows-I've been super busy with school. Grade 11 blows. I've been asked by Cari-san in terms reguarding the character's grade and age. So here it is.

Athrun-18-grade 12

Cagalli-18-grade 12

Kira-18-grade 12

Lacus-18-grade 12

Yzake-18-grade 12

Dearka-18-grade 12

Shinn-17-grade 11

Lunamaria-17-grade 11

Rey-17-grade 11

Ayame-16-grade 11

Nicol-16-grade 11

Meyrin-15-grade 10

More to come!

* * *

Chapter Three

Silent Confessions

It was early Thursday morning and already, Cagalli was locked out of her class. A few days ago, she had gone for coffee with a complete stranger. Although she had seen him a few times in her classes, she had failed to get his name; reason being he seems to be surrounded every time she tries to approach. So here she was, day after day, simply waiting. Kira had been a big help in finding her classes, and she had to admit, Lacus Clyne wasn't too bad either, better than Fllay anyways. She had met two of the four families that controlled the economy of Japan, yet Athrun of the Zala Corp remained in the shadows.

"Konnichiwa Cagalli-san."

Looking up, Cagalli found Kyo there. He had been her partner for the past couple of days. Though the boy was good nature, not to mention good looking, he was still too tall for her likings. At this point, Kyo had lost his usual mask of calmness. An excited glint shined in his deep blue eyes as he marched over to Cagalli to share the good news.

"Athrun-san is coming!"

Cagalli, however, was uninterested. Her mind seemed to be on the blue haired boy who had secretly stole her heart. She had met Athrun's partner, Ayame, a couple of days ago. Cagalli had to admit, she had expected Hikari's daughter to be much warmer. This Athrun character probably won't be any better. One by one, the students of Rank B gathered outside the door, chattering excitedly among themselves.

It wasn't long before the door to the studio opened up. Eight students, including Cagalli herself, stepped onto the hardwood floor. Upon arriving, Cagalli noticed that besides the usual three instructors, there was a fourth whose appearance was all too familiar to her. His eyes were as green as emerald itself, his silky hair a shade of unnatural blue, yet it works out in its own mysterious ways. His black shirt, half buttoned to show traces of skin, and it was at that very moment that Cagalli realized she wanted to dance with him…only him.

"As many of you heard, Athrun-san has kindly volunteered to instruct the students of Rank B."

Cagalli could not begin to describe the shock she felt when she heard his name. _'That guy's Athrun Zala?' _His named echoed over and over again in her head. Yet it wasn't excitement for talking to him that boiled her mind, but anger. _'How dare he? That jerk!' _For the rest of the introduction, Cagalli had ducked her head low and plotted her revenge on the blue haired beauty, who had failed to make his presence clear the other day. A deep crimson crept up to her face when she thought back to what she had said to him. _'Great, now he probably thinks I'm a weirdo!' _Such thought shrunk her even more.

The tango consist a large quantity of expression, but of course, sex appeal cannot be left out. Now if only Cagalli could dance on beat, everything would be just fine. Kyo's height made it almost impossible for her to keep up. The lesson was in vain as the two walked all over the place, causing a scene in the studio. Athrun raised an eyebrow; he had been propped up against a wall at the back of the room, trying to ignore the whole incident. Apparently, it wasn't working. Kyo and Cagalli had walked into three groups in the last five minutes, breaking Higrashi's record for the dumbest partnership alive.

Finally, unable to watch the struggle any longer, Athrun pushed himself off the walls and advanced towards the bowling balls. Kyo had stopped in midway when he saw Athrun's approach, causing Cagalli to trip over his foot. Next thing he knew, the poor girl went for another fly across the room. Lucky for her though, Athrun had caught her just in time. They stood for a moment, unable to draw away from each other. Cagalli glared intensely into Athrun's eyes, as if daring him to say something. The heir to the Zala throne, however, was calm, untouched by her intimidation.

"You guys really suck, you know that?"

The voice broke their bound. The two quickly broke apart. Cagalli blushed furiously while Athrun groaned at the girl who just walked in. Fllay's wavy red hair wrapped her face nicely; she carried the perfect curves, having been a dancer for most of her life. She advanced; her hips swing from side to side in blameless rhyme. She was the school's _slut_, and she made sure that point got through. Even though she had slept with nearly all the guys in Higrashi, including the son of the Attha family, people still lusts for her.

"What are you doing here Fllay?" Athrun spoke, trying to keep his annoyance as low as possible.

Fllay eyed Athrun uneasily. "I thought you quit." She stated.

Athrun looked around the studio, as if making sure he was at the right place. Then, turning around with a raised eyebrow, he spoke in a lazed tone. "Apparently not."

"So then, about _us._"

By now, a small crowd had gathered to see what was going on. Cagalli rolled her eyes; their instructors couldn't have left at a better time for coffee. Growling, she could only shake her head as she watched the incident in front of her. Athrun didn't seem like he was too pleased with the situation at hand either. Two of the school's major influence had abandoned him; one being Lacus Clyne, but she became off limits when she started dating his best friend. Then it was Ayame, with the condition they were in, he doesn't see much of a chance in getting back together. So that leaves him wide open for just about…anybody. And the school seemed to think that _anybody_ was Fllay Allster.

Now, unfortunately for Fllay, Athrun wasn't like all the others. "What about us?" He said plainly.

"Athrun Zala! You know as well I do that I am your best choice. Do you honestly think you would be able to find someone suitable out of these idiots here?" Fllay shouted heatedly. Whispers broke out among the students in the class. Fllay glared, as if daring someone to oppose her.

Having a chairman for a father surely helps. Because of the position Fllay's father was in, it puts her into the upper ranks of Higrashi, making her virtually untouchable. Athrun glanced at Fllay with a frown. He had to admit, she was putting him in a tough position right now. If Kira were here, he would have a way to bail him out. Silence shouldered its way into the two as whispers of agreement sounded among the Rank B students.

"You must be real desperate."

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Cagalli as she stood arms crossed across from Fllay. The chairman's daughter glared at the unknown of the school. From the looks of it, Fllay guessed Cagalli to be of no importance, seeing as though she hasn't seen the girl around Higrashi before. But she have some nerve; talking to her like that. Must be a female version of Shinn Asuka.

"Leave him alone already." Cagalli went on. "Obviously, he's not interested in you, so why throw yourself at him like that? Besides…" She paused, sending Athrun a chilling glare. "He's not worth it."

Now, the first couple of parts, Athrun could agree to. But the last line? _'What does she mean, I'm not worth it?' _He gave a violent cough, indicating that he was still there, and that if they were going to talk about him, it best be behind his back. Nonetheless, he still admired the girl's strength. Even Ayame has shown her share of respect towards Fllay, knowing that it was best not to mess with her, for this girl had poison all over her body.

Without a warning, Fllay raised her hand to show the newcomer respect for the upper class of the school. No one speaks to her that way, no one! Indeed, the punishment was delivered with a harsh bang, followed by an inevitable silence. A red mark was imprinted on Cagalli's left cheek. Fllay stood, her breath increased rapidly with each suffocating moment.

"If it makes you feel better, you can slap me again." Cagalli's words shocked even the calm blue haired prince. "But it won't change anything…" She looked up, her glare piercing the red head in front of her. "You are just fooling yourself."

Those words only angered Fllay more as she raised her hand again, but this time, Athrun caught her arm just in time; this came as more of a shocker. Fllay knew for a fact that Athrun has never protected anyone before except for those he holds dearly onto. For a moment Fllay could only stare as a frown formed on Athrun's face. She couldn't remember the last time the prince looked this angry because of a girl, for _any_ girl.

"I think you better leave." Athrun said calmly.

"But Athrun-san. I-"

The firm look Athrun gave her was enough to tell her to get lost. Fllay gave him an unsatisfied grunt, then turning to glare at Cagalli one last time, she left. Athrun gave a long sigh, this was too much to handle. Upon turning back to see if Cagalli was all right, he had received a slap right across the face. The incident was slowly digested as he raised a hand to touch his reddened cheek. Once again, they stood, staring at one and another.

In another moment, Cagalli had broken that bond and was slowly backing away now. "You jerk!" She screamed at the top of lungs.

All Athrun could do was watch as the young woman turned on her heels and stormed out of the dance studio. No one has ever laid a finger on him before, now Cagalli had broken that record. Whispers suddenly snapped him back into reality. As he glanced around, he found others sending him weird looks behind his back. Quickly, he too, followed Cagalli's lead and left without another word.

* * *

"What do you do after that?" 

Shinn leaned over and glanced at what Ayame had done so far. Math was not her thing, he could tell that much, but at least she was trying. The two had become quite close during the past couple of days, so close that some boys from his class were becoming quite uncomfortable with the idea. Athrun's attacks had also lessened; Shinn wondered if that was a good thing or not. People no longer acted like as if he was contagious, so he guessed it means he survived Athrun's punishment.

"Square it to get the answer." He instructed and watched as Ayame did what she was told.

A smile over came her face when she checked her answer. Shinn stopped to admire her. Now he was beginning to wonder why he said those things the other day. Maybe he was feeling a little bit emotionally unbalanced at the time, with all these rich kids running around and all.

"It's _White Day _soon." He said bluntly, spilling out his thoughts. Then realizing he had said the wrong thing, he nearly slapped himself. A furious blush crept up to his cheeks.

Ayame gave him a blank stare. "So…?"

But Shinn was never given the chance to finish, for a raven-haired boy chose to interrupt at that exact moment. His name was Shiro, one of the popular boys in Higrashi. Shiro's father holds twenty percent of the stocks in Zala Corp, so obviously, his family's relationship is very close to Athrun's. And since the talk of the school has finally broken up, he thought this would be his perfect chance.

"Ayame-san, it's _White Day _this Saturday." The boy spoke like as if the rest of the class didn't exist.

All heads turned in their direction. It was at times such as this did Ayame wish she were invisible. Suddenly, Shinn felt like as if someone was invading his space. Tilting his head, he glared at the boy. Shiro on the other hand, was clueless of the amount of hatred he was receiving from the rubby-eyed boy, nor the negative energy from the male population of his class.

"I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to a movie." He asked politely.

Shinn could have sworn he felt a hint of jealousy surfacing. Rather than listening to this rubbish, he decided to give the situation the cold shoulder. That, however, didn't stop him from eavesdropping on the conversation. The girl looked expressionless for a moment, as if she hadn't heard the question. Shinn thought for sure she was going to turn him down. Then, without warning, the unthinkable occurred.

"Pick me up at eight."

Shinn's heart sunk along with half of his class. Some boys glared while others plotted their revenge as Shiro said his many thanks and skipped back to his seat. Shinn was amused by the fact that all this happened in the amount of time that took the teacher to go for a washroom break. It didn't stop him from seeing the objective of Shiro's game though. By making a fuss about their date, Shiro has clearly raised his statues in the school. And what bothers him is that Ayame was falling for it.

But it was her decision, and there was nothing he can do to change that. So there he was, two hours later, sitting in his history class and apparently spacing out. If he had a mirror right now, he would know how much of an idiot he looked like. Apart of him wanted to scream out "Don't go!" while another argued it wasn't his place to make such demands.

"Asuka-san, can I see your notes?" Ayame asked.

Seeing that there was no reaction from Shinn, she proceeded to ask again. After a few failed attempts, she went ahead and pulled the notebook from under his arm, only to find that he hasn't written anything down yet. She blinked a couple of times. If she didn't know better, she would have assumed that he was slacking off in class, but she knew he needed the money from the scholarship he gets at Higrashi, so drifting off wasn't an option.

"Asuka-san!"

Shinn blinked a couple of times. Ayame had succeeded in getting his attention, along with the rest of the class. She looked around nervously; shrunk back into her seat and waved her hand for the rest to get back to work. Sighing, Shinn turned back to his books, ignoring the helpless girl beside him.

Ayame raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm talking to you here." She spoke in a whisper this time.

He didn't bother to look at her. "I'm listening."

"Is something the matter?" She eyed him uneasily. He was acting weird.

He turned, the look of a devil. She stared at him, expecting an answer, when all of a sudden; Shinn moved forward, closing what little space they had left between them. She could hear her heart pick up more paste. She could do nothing but stare at his lips. That's when she realized her lust for him. His attitude, his body, his undying red eyes brought her ultimate attraction. But it was wrong, she knew it was wrong, yet she couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch his face. Shinn flinched upon the coolness of her fingers. She was so close, but at the same time, completely out of his reach.

"It's nothing." He said as he turned back to his textbook, the bond between them broken.

"Oh."

They were silent for about another minute and half. Then out of nowhere, Shinn spoke. "He's using you, you idiot." His voice was so low, Ayame wasn't sure if she heard him or not.

"I know."

Again, silence. Shinn froze in his seat, unable to digest what had been fed to him. "Then why…?"

"What makes you think the next person won't ask me out for my money?"

That question had caught Shinn off guard. He wanted to oppose her opinion, but couldn't. They were of different class; they would never be accepted. Even if he had feelings for her, it probably won't be returned. So falling back into a deep silence, they sat for the rest of the class, unable to speak to one and another again.

Saturday swung by fast. It was nine o'clock at night and Shinn was already feeling restless. He stood in the nearly packed café, wondering how Ayame's date was going so far, or if Shiro was even there to pick her up. Couples among couples sat, exchanging gifts, looking as cozy as ever; this somehow made Shinn want to ditch the extra pay and walk out. But he needed the money; he was already falling behind on his rent. So there you have the great Shinn Asuka, seventeen, dateless, and annoyed by his costumer's ridiculous demands.

"Damn it, I'm coming!" He didn't bother to keep his voice down as he poured a man more coffee.

"Hey you!"

'_I have a fucking name!' _Shinn growled. And to think he should have been used to it by now, but nah, the rude comments still gets him. He turned, his whole expression changing dramatically as he faced the guy. The frown was replaced by a nearly see through smile. Yet his eyes reflected the annoyance he was feeling at the moment.

"Yes?" He asked in the politest tongue he can manage, but it wasn't too convincing.

The guy eyed him weirdly before going on. "Where's my sandwich?"

"If you would wait just a minute, it's coming right away."

"Yea? You said that ten minutes ago! I don't have all day you know!"

That was it! He had reached the point of snapping. "What do you want _me_ to do about it?" Shinn asked annoyingly.

"Excuse me?"

"This is a café, not some fast food place. Go to McDonalds if you are in a hurry!" Shinn eyed the man in front of him. _'He probably belongs there anyways.' _

With that, he left the table, leaving a wide-eyed fat man behind. Rey was watching him closely. His friend shook his head with a sigh. At this rate, Shinn probably won't be working here long. His friend hadn't been himself ever since Thursday, and Rey had been wondering why for a while now. Beside him Lunamaria worked, completely senseless as to what was happening.

"If he thinks he's getting a tip today, he can forget about it." Rey mumbled under his breath.

* * *

His music reflected his personality, gentle, calm, and honest. Those were the qualities of Nicol Amarfi, the talented, yet unknown violinist. No, that wasn't true, it's just that his fame has yet to be discovered. The piece faded, leaving his audience in a blessed daze. Then there came the deserving claps, the bravos, and the cheerful whistle. Even though there were only four people in the room, Nicol was satisfied. 

"That was great! You've improved quite a bit during the time that you were away." Lacus commented, walking over to give her friend a hug of welcome.

"Man, you rock!" Dearka Elthman said dumbly, trying to cover up the fact that he had been half asleep during the ten minutes of play.

Nicol had spent the past four years in England, attending the same private school as Athrun. Though he had majored in music, the two had remained quite close. He looked to the faces of his friends, and finally realized that his place wasn't within the classy community of London, but with them in Tokyo.

"Thanks." He said with a shy blush.

Kira smiled. "It's been a while since you last visited. I hope you stay more than two weeks this time."

"Actually…" Nicol began slowly. "I think I'm here to stay this time." He said as he proceeded to stuff his violin back into its case. At this, everyone's jaws dropped.

"Great, the _brat_ returns." Yzak said sarcastically.

"Yzak!" Lacus scolded.

Nicol smiled a little, already used to Yzak's taunting. "My dad decided to expand his industries in Japan, so I guess I'm stuck here for a couple of years."

"You came with your dad for his business? Or are you only back because of you-know-who?" Dearka smirked, knowing he had hit a deadly spot on Nicol's back.

Nicol's face had turned a shade of red in the time that Dearka counted backwards from ten. He's had a crush on Ayame since the age of ten. But because he was so shy, they remained nothing but friends over the years. By now, Dearka had been dying with fits of laughter while Yzak stood as far away from him as possible, wanting nothing to do with the idiot.

"Where's Athrun-san?" Nicol wondered out loud, trying to change the subject as fast as possible.

"He's out." Kira replied slowly. "School business. He'll be back tonight. Says he's really sorry."

"Oh."

"And Ayame's on a date with what's his face." Dearka added quickly.

"Who?" Nicol urged.

"Shiro Koradji." Kira answered.

Nicol's face dropped. "Oh…ok."

Just then, Kira's cell phone rung. He answered, frowned, and quickly excused himself from the rest of the group. Once he found a quiet place by himself, he sat down, his expression changing from cheerful to that of a frown. The person on the other end was really beginning to annoy him.

"Yes, the plan will be put to action tonight." Even though he knew his decision was going to hurt Nicol, he was going to carry it through. "Tonight, we will crush Shinn Asuka."

* * *

"I hope you understand the reasons as to why we had selected you to help the Rank B students." Natarle said slowly. 

Athrun nodded. "Hoping to find me a partner for the next competition."

Natarle nodded. "The dance show is in three months. You _need _to do well if you want to go international." She paused. "Fllay won't work will she?"

Athrun shook his head. "I don't…" He looked up, putting it into better terms. "No, she won't do."

"Who do you have in mind then?"

Athrun looked down, thinking. Then looked up as a small smile formed on the edge of his lips. "Cagalli Yula Attha."

* * *

"Would you like to go for a drink?" Shiro asked as they walked out of the movie theater. 

The date hadn't gone well. He had been five minutes late at the beginning, and that was enough to piss her off. Although she didn't say it, he was sure she hadn't wanted to come out with him that day. Ayame shook her head without a word as she walked forward; unaware that Shiro wasn't able to keep up with her paste. He gave a long sigh and strolled along beside her. He had expected the famous Ayame Kashino to be more fun than this, but all they did that night was sat around. Though he had tried many times to make conversation, none of the topics he had come up with seemed to have drawn her interest.

"Want to get something to eat?" She shook her head, again, no. "What do you want to do then?"

"I'm tired." Ayame said without looking at him.

"Oh…" Shiro forced a smile. "I'll take you home then."

The ride wasn't as pleasant as he thought it would be. All Ayame did was look out of the window, as if the outside world was more interesting than Shiro's face, and it irritated him that he wasn't the center of interest to her. Now he was beginning to wonder if it were like this with Athrun and her. If it were, then he'd probably know why the two broke up.

"Good night." Ayame said as they pulled into her drive way.

"Ayame-san."

She was ready to leave when all of a sudden; Shiro took a hold of her wrist, holding her back. Without realizing it, he had closed the space between them, pressing his lips tightly over hers. She was completely caught off guard, and was now beginning to back away from him. He, however, wasn't aware of her struggles as he leaned in closer, deepening the kiss. After a moment, Shiro released the girl, surfacing for air. She stared at him, the eyes of a wounded animal. She was scared, hurt, like a frightened deer she backed out of his car. It was then did Shiro realize that something was wrong with her.

"Bye." He whispered, knowing this is probably the last time he'll see her alone like this.

She stood in her driveway for a minute and half as Shiro drove off, trying to catch her breath and her consciousness. Then slowly, she turned, heading back home. Unknown to her, a pair of blue eyes had caught her every movement. Turning, she headed towards the door with her purse in hand, her evening dress wrinkled, her shoes killing her foot, and her heart dying a slow and painful death.

"Looks like you had fun tonight."

Ayame jumped at the voice. She whirled around, frightened. Standing in the shadows of the night was Haku, dressed in a black shirt and jeans. She can tell by the redness of his cheeks that he had been waiting for her there for a while now.

"Haku…"

"You don't have a clue do you?" Haku advanced. "But then again, maybe it's better this way. You've found another prince charming; Athrun-san has found a new interest. And Shinn?" His voice darkened. "The little brat won't live much longer."

"What do you plan to do with him?" Ayame demanded. She tried to tell herself that it was a joke; that he was just messing with her head. But something about the way he looked at her that night told her he was serious, and that scared the crap out of her.

"Shinn Asuka doesn't belong in this world of ours. His statues don't match yours Ayame-san. Don't waste your time on him."

"He really is no different from us." She replied calmly. Then, looking straight into Haku's eyes, she marked her threats. "If anything were to happen to him, I'll make your life a living hell." The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Her actions even shocked herself, but it doesn't matter now. Quickly, she shoved past a numb Haku and ran towards the familiar direction of Shinn's café. The pain from her high heels had burned into the back of her foot, yet she kept on running, hoping that she wasn't too late, for Haku's words were not to be taken lightly. _'Please be alright Shinn…' _She prayed for his safety. It was then did she realize her newly profound life would be nothing but a mere reflection of her past if he weren't apart of it.

Within minutes, she had reached the café just down the street. She quickly pushed open the doors, hoping that he would be standing behind the counter and asking her what she was doing there. But her hopes were drained as she found the red haired Lunamaria there, just finishing her last shift, and Shinn nowhere to be found. The Hawke sister eyed Ayame suspiciously, wondering what the pianist was doing here. After all, shouldn't she be on that date with Shiro?

"Where's Shinn?" Ayame questioned, breathless.

Lunamaria frowned, debating on whether or not she should tell her. Judging by the look on Ayame's face, the girl seemed pretty desperate, so she decided to toy with her for a moment longer. "Gee, I don't know. Here, there, he could be anywhere by now."

Ayame, however, was in no mood for jokes. She had literally lost all means of calmness, and had reached over the countertop for the red head's black collar. "Where the hell is Shinn Asuka?" She demanded; unaware that she was drawing the whole café's attention.

Lunamaria wasn't one to give in easily. Reaching down, she shoved Ayame's hands off of her, giving her the dirty eye. "What's the matter? You just got dumped?" A couple of days ago, she would never speak to Ayame this way. But having her hair cut short and publicly humiliated was enough to change her perspectives.

"I don't have time for this. Tell-"

"Good." Lunamaria cut her off. "Then get out."

Ayame was taken back, never had anyone talk to her this way before. She looked towards Shinn's so called friend and wondered if she should explain herself. But then again, that would take god knows how long. Her eyes began to tear up at a stage of panic. Haku would keep his word, Shinn would die, and it would be all her fault. She didn't want that, she didn't want him to be hurt because of her. She didn't want to loose him.

"Luna, that's enough."

She whirled around to find another. Behind her stood a young boy, his blond hair was in a ponytail, his black shirt gave him a casual look, and his blue eyes a reflection of understanding. The girl in front of him wasn't acting, Rey saw to her grief, and in return, granted her wish.

"He left a couple of minutes ago for home."

"Rey!"

"If you head across the street, I'm sure you can catch him." He ignored Lunamaria's glare. "He lives on Shika road, it's just about six blocks from here."

"Rey-san." Ayame couldn't help but feel grateful to this boy. "Arigato." She gave a low bow before heading out.

Lunamaria watched as Ayame left, her black dress fading into the still night. Turning, she fixed Rey with a questioning glare. The blond wasn't usually one to butt into other people's business; she wondered what made him think otherwise. Did Ayame Kashino have that much influence over people? No, one glance into his eyes told her everything. He didn't do it because he wanted to suck up to her; he did it for something else.

"Why?" She spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rey couldn't bring himself to speak. All he could do was watch, and hope that whatever she was up to was for the best. "Because it was the right thing to do."

* * *

"Shinn!" Her desperate voice drowned in the crowded street. 

Shika road wasn't exactly a place you can call safe. Because of its high crime rates and old structure, it has made itself known as the lower class range areas of Tokyo. It certainly wasn't a community you would hang out on a nice Saturday night, no, it was more of a street you would go to when you want to get laid. Hookers lined up the alleyways. They were quite cheap actually, ten bucks an hour.

"Hey baby, you looking for some fun?" A nearby man asked, reaching out to touch her cheek.

Ayame slapped his hand away and kept going. _'How could someone live in a place like this?' _She wondered. But her mind wasn't set on the dump, or the smell that polluted the air; her only wish right now was to find Shinn. Suddenly, her right foot tripped over her left, causing her to fall to the muddy ground. The tumble ripped a gash in her black dress, a bloody cut on her knee, and a painful wound in her determination. She sat on the cold floor, tired, hurt, and unable to go on. People passed by, yet none stopped to ask if she were okay. It was as if her existence didn't matter. _'Can't go on anymore…' _Her thoughts ate away her dignity. She had forgotten why she was here, what she was looking for. All she wanted now was to leave, leave this dump and get home.

"Hey! It looks like someone got stabbed."

"Let's go see!"

"Oh my god, it looks like he's only a teenager."

Voices brought her back to reality. Her eyes widened, her heart stopped beating as she forced herself onto her feet. _'No…it couldn't.' _Her inner self screamed as she looked around, trying to determine the source of the incident. Up ahead, a small crowd seemed to have gathered. She held her breath. Time stopped as she approached slowly, one step after another. She wanted to see, yet was afraid to find out.

"Excuse me! Please let me through!" Her mind went into a panic as tears began to spill from her violet eyes. She pushed, shoved her way into the crowd. She had to look for herself; she had to. _'It couldn't, it can't!'_

She felt a sickening feeling at the pit of her stomach as she tried to get past the crowd. The scent of blood had already reached her nose. Someone had died here tonight, the same way her mother had been stabbed years ago. The feeling of loss was once again surfacing. She had finally found someone who was able to understand her, and now she was loosing him. _'It can't be, it can't!' _Her eyes widened in shock. A body lay motionlessly in a pool of blood on the ground. Black hair. Ruby red eyes. The victim was dead.

It was not him. The features were the same, but it was not him. She dropped to her knees, shaking in fright, but at the same time, thankful that it wasn't Shinn's face she saw, but the face of a stranger. So then, where was he? She glanced around helplessly, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. One by one, the people who had gathered to catch the fiesta parted. The police would arrive soon; they would want no part in this bloody business.

She lowered her eyes, her hopes shattered. He was nowhere to be found. Ayame looked down, tears slipping in massive amounts down her cheeks. Her mind was blank. Where was Shinn? Then out of nowhere a shadow towered over her small body, enveloping her from the blinding brightness of the streetlights. She looked up slowly, and there he was, a bag of grocery in one hand, a jacket in another. She could do nothing but stare as he lowered himself onto his knees, down to her eye level.

"Ayame-san, what are you-"

He was cut short. Trembling arms circled around his neck. Shinn was stun by her actions. He keeled in the same position, unable to bring himself to move as she buried her face into his shoulder. She was afraid, afraid of loosing him, afraid that he would disappear if she were to let go. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, soothing her out. He could feel her pain. Her body shacked uncontrollable in his arms. It agonized him to see her this way. At that exact moment, he realized he wanted to be with her, to protect her from harm, and to heal her of her wounds. He didn't want to see her in tears again; he didn't want to hurt her anymore.

In the shadows stood two men, their figure hidden from view. Their job had been done. The violet eyes of Kira Attha himself peered at the girl he had come to love as a sister, and couldn't help but feel guilty for the pain he had caused her. Yet it had been done. What else could he do to knock some senses into her? With a smile, he turned, leaving the couple behind. He had done his part; the rest is up to her.

* * *

"Still up Nicol-san?" Lacus glanced through the doors of her childhood friend. 

The boy had decided to stay over that night. It was almost mid-night, and Nicol was still not yet in bed. He sighed and nodded. Lacus shook her head. He was waiting for Ayame. She had promised to come over as soon as her date was over with Shiro, but she has yet to show. The boy had sat by the window for the most of the night, waiting for Ayame's car to pull into the driveway.

"She probably won't make it tonight." Lacus went on.

Nicol didn't look back. "Yea…" Although he tried to hide it, he still wasn't able to cover up the disappointment in his voice.

"Get some rest, it's late. She's probably going to drop by tomorrow."

"I'm not tired. Why don't you head to bed now Lacus? I'll just…stay up for a little bit more…" He yawned.

Lacus signed. The boy probably won't hit the hay until he sees her. It was so like Nicol to be the one waiting. At this rate, she wonders if he'll ever tell her how he really feels. But then again, there was Shinn. Kira had been stubborn to carry out his plan. She shook her head. Once an Attha's mind is set on something, wild horses couldn't stop them from putting it into action. _'Oh Nicol…if only you knew…'

* * *

_

Athrun cupped his hand over his coffee mug. It was early Sunday morning. Ayame had called quite late the night before, saying that they had to meet. So here he was, waiting in their favorite café, annoyed that she was running ten minutes behind. The door suddenly swung open, and in entered the hostess herself in a stunning white dress. Their eyes met. She slowly made her way over to him and sat down in the empty seat across the table. A waiter went by and brought Ayame her usual coffee. It had been a while since he last saw the two together, now it seemed bazaar to him that they appear together at the same place. Nonetheless, the tip was always good.

A minute passed by. Silence. He leaned back against his chair, wondering what she had brought him here for. Ayame was at unease, she was lost and wanted to look for a place to begin. Never had Athrun thought they would reach this point of awkwardness between the two. He watched as she stirred her coffee with a spoon. Her movements were so elegant. He frowned. Something about her was different. She felt…warm.

"So what did you want to talk about?" He began.

She didn't look up. Silence again. She took a sip of coffee. Then, settling her cup down, she looked straight into Athrun's eyes. "Stop it."

He was taken aback by her words. Was she asking him to give up? He thought she was joking, but something about her presence told him otherwise. "You like him, don't you?" It came out as more of a statement than a question.

"Yes." She answered bluntly.

A flinch. "Why?" He felt an untamed jealousy surfacing. She looked away, unable to answer him. "Why?" He pushed. He couldn't understand the reason behind it. "Why did you let him in and not me?"

She looked down. "Because he found me, and you didn't…"

There was silence. Slowly, the frown from Athrun's face faded. "I see." He nodded slightly.

Nothing more needed to be said. He understood. He was hurt by it, but understood. Getting up, he placed a kiss on her cheek, one last kiss, and left. She sat there in silence for some time, after a moment of rest; she too, got up, and headed for the direction of Lacus's house.

Without knowing it, Athrun's walk had turned into a trip to the school. He paced through the deserted hallways, unable to digest the pain all at once. He stopped outside the door of the dance studio. Although the walls were sound proof, it still didn't stop traces of music from seeping through. He waited outside, listening to the melody. His nerves were calmed by the slow rhythm of the tone. Now he wondered who would be practicing the slow dance on a Sunday morning. Then he remembered _her _words.

_"His skills showed people hope. Thousands of girls work hard each day for a chance to dance with thy great Athrun Zala. Even though they'll probably never get the opportunity, they don't give up. For that, I envy Athrun-san, because he is able to give hope through something as simple as dancing."_

He hesitated for a moment before opening the door. The blond stopped dead in her tracks as she turned to see who had barged in on her practice time. She gave him an annoyed look, threw her towel to the side and walked towards her water bottle, deciding to ignore him. Athrun smiled a little, slowly approaching the girl. With a clap of his hand, the music stopped.

Cagalli glanced up, agitated. "What do you want?"

A hand was trusted in front of her face. She looked up to find Athrun only inches away from her. Again, that deep crimson crept up to her face. She inched back a little, putting some space between the two. Athrun, however, didn't seem to mind the closeness. He had decided to give up from that point forward. For all those years, he hadn't allowed himself to forget about Ayame. He had hoped, day after day that a miracle would happen. In the end, it did. Not for him though. So what was the point of waiting? He would be only wasting time. Why not free himself?

"My name is Athrun Zala." He began slowly. "Would you like to…dance with me?"

It was a new beginning with a fresh start. Cagalli blinked, looked from the hand to Athrun, then back at the hand again, as if debating whether she should trust him or not. Then, slowly, she rested her hand in his. "My name is Cagalli Yula Attha." She smiled a little, introducing herself the way he did. "And it's a pleasure to finally have the chance to dance with you."

* * *

Haruka: So there you have it. Heehee! Now I must get back to watching Full Metal Alchimest. It's soooooooo good! 


	4. Breaking Point

Haruka: Sorry for the late update guys, my physics homework has me packed! I swear, physics runs my life now! IT'S EVIL! Well, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Four

Breaking Point

He glanced towards the girl beside him with a worried expression. Ayame Kashino had been dozing off in class for the past week. From time to time, Shinn would find the girl's head dropping towards the direction of the desk, but every time that happens, she would quickly snap her neck back up, as if having had a bucket of cold water dumped on her.

Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, he'd say she hasn't had more than four hours of sleep that day. The reason behind her lack of rest? Easy. Her concert date had been bumped up. With the extra homework that the teachers had been throwing, it really was a miracle that she hasn't passed out yet.

Sighing, he propped his head back down, scrapping notes into his book. It was a free work period after all, so he guessed it was okay for Ayame to catch some rest. Suddenly, he saw a glimpse of red hair by the window, followed by Meyrin's head that popped through the doorway. Shinn raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was doing there.

"Ayame-senpai!" Her small voice called from the door.

He watched as violet orbs opened to the sound of her name. Then, glancing around, as if awakening from a trauma, she looked for the source of the noise. Her eyes widened when her sight landed on the red head. Then quickly grabbing whatever was within arm's length, Ayame rushed out the door.

Shinn listened as her footsteps faded to stillness. Turning back with a frown, he resumed taking notes. He would make a copy for her later, maybe. Ayame had been more than distant towards him since _that_ night. No matter how much thoughts he put into the matter, he was still unable to figure out why she had clung to him like that. But something happened that night, and whatever it was, he could tell it scared her bad.

Suddenly, he felt a shadow tower over him. He looked up and the eyes of the boy ate him whole. Shiro glare down at Shinn with pure hatred. He thought he had survived Athrun's punishment, but no, he just _had_ to get himself into a shit load of trouble with Athrun Junior. Groaning, Shinn sunk his head low, pretending he didn't see the boy, when all of a sudden; a hand thrusted forward and took a hold of Shinn's collar. In another second, he had come so close to Shiro that he could practically smell his breath.

"So you are Shinn Asuka huh?" Shiro examined him, as if he were an alien; then shoved him back down to his seat like a ragged doll. "I really don't see why she picked a low life like you."

Somehow, during the past few weeks, Shinn had vastly approached the title of an _item_. He was so sick and tired of being pushed around because of his social statues that he was slowly loosing what little control he had over his temper. He glared up at the babbling boy in front of him with disgust. He and Ayame weren't together. So why was Shiro going nuts?

"Better a low life than a phony." Shinn's lips had gotten the best of him. Without thinking about the consequences, he had blurted out whatever was on his mind.

Big mistake. The other boy practically jumped on him when the fight erupted. The classroom was soon filled with chanting of _fight-fight-fight._ The battle was a blind one as the two threw punches here and there. But Shinn quickly gained the upper hand as he pinned Shiro face down on the ground. Through the meds of this chaos, all failed to notice the stunned Talia-sensei, who had just guided their new classmate through the door.

"Shinn Asuka! Unhand that boy this instant!"

Turning, Shinn found his teacher there with an expression that matched a wild boar's, and knew immediately he had just signed his own death warrant by engaging in that fight. Had he started this whole thing; he would have been expelled. Lucky for him, life wasn't that cruel. But he did just bump his reputation down, if it's even possible for it to go any lower.

"This is a disgrace!" Talia went on, throwing her hands up in frustration. "This kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable! And to think Higrashi is one of the best schools in Japan! Asuka-san! You of all people should know better!"

Shinn flinched. Talia-sensei rarely ranted on like this. But he supposed it was because of the new student. Glancing towards the boy, his attention was instantly drawn to the color of his hair. He couldn't remember the last time anyone wore such an unnatural shade of green on his head and have it work out along with the rest of his features. The boy must have noticed his stare, because he smiled. Shinn couldn't help but keep his eyes on the new boy. There was something about him that kept the situation at peace.

"Both of you! Principle's office! Now!" Talia barked, snapping Shinn out of his daze.

"Talia-sensei, do you really think that's necessary?" The new student's words shocked even Shinn himself. "From what I've heard, fighting is no longer a crime in Higrashi." He poked at the faults of the corrupted student body. "Or is this sudden punishment only in effect before my eyes?"

"N-Nicol-san!"

Gasps broke upon the mention of his name. The girls glanced at him with lustful eyes while the boys backed off, knowing it was best not to mess with someone that obviously associates with Athrun Zala. Nicol gave a little smile, stepping in between the stunned teacher and a curious Shinn.

"I'm willing to let this one slide if you are." Nicol went on, his voice was firm, business like. "Besides. Koradji-sama surely does not approve any incident that would move onto his son's permanent record."

Talia flinched. Then, weighing out her options, she decided it was in her best interest to keep a low profile. So she nodded her head at last, a bit on the unwilling side. It was best not to mess with the Koradji family; after all, she intends to keep her job. Shinn glanced at the boy curiously, wondering whom this guy was, for the stranger in front of him had just saved him from a shit load of trouble. Whoever this Nicol character was, Shinn decided he liked the boy.

* * *

The scene was quite dramatic when Ayame entered the council chamber. Yzak had Athrun pinned up against a wall while the two exchanged glares. Over to their right, Kira tried to pull the boys off of each other. In the center of the room sat Lacus and Dearka with strained looks on their faces, stressed out. Off in a distant corner sat Rey, quietly observing the situation with a slight frown. The rest of the student council simply ignored the incident, already used to the constant fighting between Athrun and Yzak.

Ayame sighed and plucked herself into the seat next to Dearka's. "What's going on?" She asked, eyeing the arguing teens uneasily.

"Spring trip fiasco." Dearka answered with a raised eyebrow. "Somehow, those two got into an argument. Before we know it, Yzak had Athrun pinned in the usual position."

"Well what's the problem?" Ayame jumped straight to the point, wondering what the trip could have stirred up. "I thought we were already booked for Fujiyama hot springs."

"Cancelled, not enough money." Dearka flipped a few pages in the file that Rey had handed him earlier that day. "Most of the funding had been pulled towards other activities. We are left with half of what we had last year."

By now, Kira had succeeded in breaking the two apart. With some convincing and a whole lotof threats, Athrun and Yzak had finally resumed their seats around the table. The members of the student council sat around, staring at each other dumbly. None could relate to the relatively large amount of money they were to spend. And they sure as hell didn't want to take their chances on planning either.

"How about my family's resort at Mount Hakurai?" All of a sudden, all eyes turned to Lacus. "It's big enough." She commented. "I can make a few calls."

Athrun opposed with a few ideas of his own. His good intensions, however, cause a chain reaction that dragged the whole meeting on for another hour and half. By the end, most agreed that it was a waste of time, since they went with Lacus's family resort anyways. By the time that it was all over, and the details had been gone over, Lacus was the only one emerged victorious while others left with their mouth dried from the amount of arguing they've done.

"Did you see him?" Lacus asked Ayame on her way out. Confused as to whom she was talking about, Ayame simply gave her a blank stare. "You mean you didn't see Nicol? I thought he transferred into your class!"

"No he didn't." She argued. If he had, then why hadn't she seen him?

"Yes I did."

The two girls glanced up to find Nicol there. Ayame's first reaction was to hug him, so she did just that, unaware that a certain ruby-eyed boy was following closely behind. When she _did _see Shinn, the damage had already been done. Hurt was reflected in the boy's eyes. Although Shinn had been trying to suppress his jealousy, he couldn't help but feel a spark of anger towards the stranger who had saved him earlier that day. When Nicol asked him where Ayame had gone, he had volunteered to take him to her, now he was beginning to regret it.

"Meeting's over Ayame-san?" Shinn asked dryly, not knowing what to say.

"Yea." Came her reply with equal discomfort.

"Let's go get ice cream." Lacus suggested, breaking the tension between the two. "Athrun said he's going to wait for us by the parking lot."

"I think I better leave." Shinn said quickly at the mention of Athrun's name.

"No."

A hand was placed in his, drawing him back. Shinn found Ayame there, looking a bit hurt by his decision. That was enough to stop him from whatever he was planning into staying. Nicol, on the other hand, became aware of the situation at hand. He glanced at Shinn curiously, wondering whom this boy was, and what diplomatic position he holds in this school. If he was no more than a mere student who just happened to landed himself a spot in Higrashi by luck, then why was Ayame holding on to him like he was some kind of rare antidote?

"Why don't you come too Asuka-san?" The question had popped out of Lacus's mouth with a singsong like grace.

Nicol had remembered the glare Shinn had sent Athrun that afternoon when they arrived in the parking lot. It was a good thing that Ayame had already gotten her license, he was pretty sure the two boys would somehow manage to strangle each other if they were to sit in the same car. So there they were, sitting at an ice cream parlor just six blocks down the street; silent with discomfort. Nicol could have sworn Shinn's glare had cut Athrun's life short by a couple of years, but the prince didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, Athrun looked like he was more interested in his ice cream than what Shinn was doing.

What bothered Nicol the most was the fact that Shiro was somehow invited to tag along. He had heard of the boy's reputation before he had even set foot in Higrashi. Shiro would often start fights, hurt people, and end up having his father bail. And since the Koradji family kept a close relationship with Zala Corp, Athrun would often cover for Shiro's butt.

"So Nicol-san, what brings you to Higrashi?" Shiro suddenly directed the question to the new boy, wanting to dig up information on his background, knowing it would be best to find out where this boy stands in social statues.

"Just some unfinished business." Nicol was somewhat reluctant to speak of his intensions. Although it had became quite clear that he came back for a certain _someone._ "I heard Higrashi offered one of the best music programs in all of Japan, so I thought I give myself a chance." He added hastily when Shiro raised an unconvinced eyebrow.

"I see." Shiro gave a fake smile, pretending to be interested. "So you are into music then?"

"Yes he is." This time, it wasn't Nicol who spoke up, but Ayame. "One of the most talented violinist I've ever known. His music really…" She paused, flashing Nicol a smile. "Touches the soul."

Shinn flinched. Something in his chest jabbed at him. He didn't feel like he belonged here with these people. They were rich, _mostly _talented, and were from respectable families. Looking back at himself, he realized for the first time that he had pretty much _nothing._ Although he had kept his head down most of the time, it still didn't stop him from noticing a pair of focused violet eyes on him; he glanced up to find a brunette staring.

Again, an uncomfortable silence shouldered its way into the conversation. Athrun played with his ice cream; Nicol ate away at his chocolate cake, and Lacus was just being, well Lacus. Kira set his drink down, observing Shinn closely, the way a father would observe a future son-in-law.

"What about you Asuka-san? How did _you_ get into Higrashi?" Shiro burst out with silent mockery; he had been holding the question back for a while now.

Shinn sent Shiro a bone-chilling glare, to which the teen returned gladly. "Scholarship." He gave a short reply.

"Does that mean you don't actually belong to any social group? What's your talent anyways? Beat your fellow classmates to a pulp?" Shiro continued on with his rude remarks.

"At least he didn't buy his way in." Ayame snapped. "On the contrary, Shinn is rather similar to Nicol. He plays the cello."

Shinn blinked a couple of times, wondering how Ayame knew. But then again, the four dominating families would have their information fed to them one way or another. Nicol flashed Shinn a smile, in which the boy returned hesitantly. Shiro, however, was going rather red in the face after Ayame's defense.

"Ayame-san, surely you don't expect to compare such a incompetent fool with Nicol-san." He spat each word with venomous jealousy.

"Drop it Shiro."

This time it wasn't Ayame who spoke up, but a rather unexpected foe. Athrun took another sip of his drink calmly, like as if what he said was natural and that he was only defending a friend. Shiro cringed. He could have Shinn out of the picture in a relatively short amount of time if Athrun hadn't spoken up. Now he was beginning to wonder why the prince had bothered to hold his ground against someone so insignificant. Could this Shinn Asuka possible have that much influence over others? A chill went down his back. The rules of the school was beginning to change, and he didn't like it one bit.

* * *

"What do you mean he paired up with a Rank B student?" Fllay Allster's demands echoed the studio.

Mia Campbell flinched at her friend's screeching. They were members of the _Prince_ Athrun fan club; anyone standing in their way of getting to Athrun's love would pay dearly. And it just so happens that the news of Athrun's new partner had reached the club president's ear. Fllay clenched at the picture of a blond dancing with her beloved Athrun and nearly hissed at the thought of him with someone else.

"We are going to destroy that freak!" Fllay screamed.

Her followers took a few steps back from her, wanting not to become victim to a very, very, very pissed off president. Fllay pondered back and forth a couple of times, then, a smirk formed on her face. Glancing sideways to Mia, she nodded. Having been her friend for the past five years, Mia immediately caught _thy _eye; knowing that Fllay had probably cooked up a plan, she too, smiled.

"She'll never know what hit her."

* * *

They walked home in silence. That's all Ayame was able to do after the seemingly uncomfortable silence they had engaged in after the whole ice cream fiasco. Shiro had somehow thrown a warm conversation that was suppose to welcome Nicol and Shinn to the group into something unpleasant. Things had turned rather odd when they left the ice cream parlor. Kira had _mysteriously _lost his car keys when they were about to leave, and insisted that Ayame hand over her own, seeing as though she lived the closest. So in the end, Shinn was the one stuck with walking her home. Though Shiro tried whole-heartedly to burden himself with the responsibility, Kira had dragged him off like a ragged doll before he had the chance to speak.

Shinn had remembered the distinct feeling he had when Nicol handed Ayame a box that day. When she asked him what it was, he had said it was a little something he brought back for her. It was the perfect necklace consisting of a small white diamond held by a chain made of pure white gold. Shinn had remembered glancing over its delicate structure and guessed that the green haired boy had probably designed it himself. Nicol liked her; there was no doubt about that. Now, feeling the box inside his own jacket pocket, the present he bought for her seemed somewhat insignificant.

Ayame rubbed her arms. It was beginning to cool down with the nightfall. Quickly, Shinn took of his jacket and placed it around the girl's fragile body. She flashed him a smile. He blushed and quickly turned away from her. The two continued the route silently. It wasn't long before they reached the gate to the mansion, but for them, it seemed forever. Looking past her shoulder, Shinn's eyes widened at the size of the Kashino fortune. A drained look filled his eyes. They truly were of different worlds. Slowly, he lowered his gaze to the ground as his hands clenched into fists. She was out of his reach; he was sure of it.

"What's this?"

Shinn became alerted when she pulled the box out from inside his pocket. "It's nothing!" He said quickly, trying to snatch the box out of her grip, but she quickly turned her back on him.

"What do you mean nothing? It has my name on it." She argued back heatedly, hanging onto the box with her life.

He hastily encircled his arms around her, trying to take the box back from behind, but she would hold it out of his reach each time he tried to seize it. They stood there, struggling in an awkward position until finally, Ayame brought the box to her heart, shielding it from his hands. As a result of that, Shinn's arms folded around her tiny figure, holding her close to him. For a few silent moments they stood, wanting not to let go. Then she spoke up.

"Is it really that important?" Her voice trembled, her eyes covered by her long bangs, making it impossible to tell her expression. "What family we come from, what kind of backgrounds we have. Does it really…matter?"

He glanced down at her, unable to speak. Shinn wanted to tell her the truth; the way he feels about her. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. Even if he accepts himself, the relationship they hold would never be taken into consideration within the eyes of the others. As a result of his selfish decision, she would be pushed away by those of her own kinds. So he did the only thing that he thought was right. With what little courage he had left, he spoke up.

"We belong in different worlds Ayame-san. And my world…"He paused, breaking down, stopping himself from the unthinkable, but it had to be done. "Doesn't welcome you."

His words stabbed at her like a knife. "I…see." Her voice trembled as she spoke.

He unwrapped his arms from her, letting her free. The present within her fingers slipped to the cold ground. He watched her unmoving form as panic slowly rose. Then, in another moment, she was up on her heels, running back towards the direction of the mansion, a silver stream of tear sliding down the side of her cheek. He held back the urge to run after her, to take her into his arms and comfort her. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. They were of different societies. His existence would only threaten her influence.

"Sumimasen." With those last dying words, he too left with the feeling of dread.

**

* * *

**

"Good Cagalli-san. You are getting better."

The heir to the Attha throne cringed. For the past few weeks, Cagalli had learned that when Athrun compliments her, it usually means they have to start from the top again. So naturally, she gave up on his baloney. Athrun was a brilliant dancer. His movements were virtually flawless. Her on the other hand, was a total mess. During the past hour and half, she had single handedly broke two CD players that were in her way, one of the mirrors located on the far right wall, and Athrun's necklace when she had pulled on it in an attempt to break her fall. Now she wondered if she made the right choice by pairing up with someone so out of her lead. He belonged in world class, there's no doubt about that.

"I want a break." She demanded.

Athrun frowned. "But we just had one twenty minutes ago."

"Yes, but I need another one now!" She insisted, plopping down on the floor right where she was standing.

Athrun sighed, knowing it was best not to argue with her. After all, he did want to leave in one piece today. Last time they argued over an issue, Cagalli had _accidentally_ elbowed him in the nose during their practice, and that episode had ended with a bloody nose for Zala. He glanced around the empty studio, now wondering whose idea it was to come this late at night. Then thinking back to the phone conversation, he gave a strained sigh when he realized it was his own.

"So what do you plan to do after you get out of school?" Cagalli asked all of a sudden.

Athrun hesitated a moment. "Run my father's business." The answered slipped out of his lips before he could stop it, as if it had a mind of its own.

There was silence. Cagalli turned slowly to fix her golden eyes on Athrun; the look she gave him suggested that he had grown an extra three heads. "You can't be serious." She gave a short and hysteric laugh. "Real funny Zala. You? Behind a desk for the rest of your life? That's a good one." But for some reason she couldn't keep the mocking up. "Tell me you are not serious." Her voice held a certain degree of desperation. When he didn't answer, she panicked. "Why?"

"Because…I belong to my father." His words had slapped her hard across the face.

She frowned. His unexpected argument left her confused and disappointed. "No Athrun-san." Cagalli said slowly. "He owns you only…because you allow him to."

* * *

"Ayame-san, please come with us."

She had been minding her own business when three girls of the same grade blocked her path. They were standing in a semi-empty hallway on the path to the parking lot. Ayame recognized immediately that the girls belonged to Fllay's group of Athrun lovers. She took a couple of steps back, putting as much space between them as possible. The girls before her meant trouble, and she was trying to keep as low of a profile as possible. Naturally, they became more agitated when they saw her back away.

Yume, their leader, took a step forward. She was a tall, slender girl with blond hair down to her butt. She too, belonged to the music hall and had been trying to bump Ayame off her throne for years. Now it was her chance to strike. She signaled for her two followers to take a hold of Ayame, but the Kashino showed no signs of backing down as she threw their hands off of her arms.

The taller girl frowned. "Would you rather do this here?" Yume's frown was replaced by a smirk. "Fine with me."

By now a crowd had gathered and was now exchanging words of curiosity with one and another. From her purse, Yume pulled out what appeared to be a stack of photographs. The look in her blue eyes hardened as she threw them down in front of Ayame, hitting her square in the chest before scattering to the ground like leaves. A few gasps were heard from the crowd, for no one has ever insulted a Kashino like this before. Their shock, however, did not end there, as more whispers broke loose. Ayame's violet eyes widened in terror when she made out what the pictures were about.

"How can you cheat on Athrun-senpai with a runt like him?" Yume spat viciously. "What's more, you drowned your own reputation! We looked up to you!"

Words of agreement echoed the student body. Ayame looked around, her eyes darkening. She was being attacked openly in public. Although this was the first time that it has happened, she couldn't help but feel like she was being over thrown. But of course, she couldn't expect any less when she begged Athrun to let Shinn go. Her request led others to think she was powerless, and when the monarchy grows weak, a revolution was bound to happen.

"I don't have time for this."

She simply chose to ignore the situation at hand. Peeling her gaze from Yume, she began to advance past the troublemakers. Now unfortunately for her, they weren't about to let her off the hook so easily. What's more, Ayame didn't expect Yume to have the guts to raise hand against her. But she did, and when she realized what was happening, it was already too late. A red hand mark had imprinted itself onto Ayame's cheek. A thin line of blood slipped from the side of her lip. She was left standing in the middle of the hallway with a stunned expression on her face. Slowly, she raised a hand to her cheek, touching her swollen bruise.

"You don't deserve Athrun-san!"

* * *

"What the hell is going on here?"

They had been walking when they saw the commotion up ahead. Upon arriving at the scene of the crime, Rey and Shinn found their jaws unable to close at their command. There she was, Ayame Kashino, one of the four funding families and getting pounded on. The image in front of them had shocked quite a few members of the student body, but it wasn't enough to replace the excitement of the majority of those who remained as unknowns throughout the school year. One of the big fours was finally going down, and they had Shinn Asuka to thank at that. Shinn had shoved halfway into the crowd when he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from his actions.

"You'll only make things worse." Rey's words knocked some senses back into Shinn's head. This whole thing started because of him, if Shinn were to butt in now, it would only prove Yume right.

The two boys had no choice but stay low and watch as the punishment in front of them continued. It was always like this, someone would pick a fight; others would stand around and watch without putting a stop to it. But at the same time, it was _never _like this; _she _never got picked on, _she _was supposed to be flawless, _she _was never to have anything to do with _him_. At least that's what the majority thought, which was exactly the reason why _she_ was where she is now, broken and powerless.

"Stop it!"

At that, Shinn breathed a sigh of relief. Nicol was like Ayame's bodyguard; he would never leave her side or abandon her. The punishment stopped as soon as Nicol made his way through the crowd with Lacus Clyne. He would always be there to shield Ayame, and that's something Shinn was unable to do. As much as he hated to admit, he doesn't have the power to mindlessly do whatever he wants in the school, he _had_ to watch every step he takes. So how can he take care of her when he can't even take care of himself? Let along _be _with her?

"This woman-"

"Shut it!" Nicol spat viciously.

Gasps were heard from the crowd. Nicol was usually calm, gentle, and polite. No one expected him to come out as a strong and cold individual, yet there he was, broken into bitter pieces by the image in front of him. He was angered by the cruelty of this school. And to think, such sophisticated place with perhaps one of the top rankings around the world would have its own inner battles. He held onto the badly bruised girl. Her wrist was bleeding, her graceful presence tarnished. She was no longer the same flawless girl. Ayame Kashino was broken.

"Nicol-san!" Yume tried to argue her way out of it.

"Yume-san. If you hold any respect for my presence, you will learn to shut up when I tell you to." For the first time in his life, he had abused his position of power. The others feared him, he saw it in their eyes, and he used it to his advantage.

This shocked even Lacus Clyne. Nicol was never one to be angry, yet there he was, rage boiling in his eyes. But the look he was giving Ayame told her everything. He was deeply in love with her. Though it seemed cruel for Kira to be breaking them apart, she knew deep down that the two weren't meant for each other. Nicol was gentle; so gentle that he was reluctant to show his feelings towards her. Without further intro, Nicol had picked the girl up in his arms and headed towards the direction of the parking lot. Near by students parted ways for him to pass. After all, what good would they do by stopping him? He was two days in the school and had _practically_ leveled himself with Kira Yamato.

Her badly bruised body was limp against his arm. For a moment she could think of nothing but rest, yet her eyes couldn't help but notice the unusual red orbs within the crowd. Their eyes met, and she couldn't help but let a small gasp escape her lips. Her eyes saddened. He was standing there this whole time, watching. For a moment they stared at one and another, unwilling to pull their gazes away. Suddenly he turned, breaking their eye contact, ashamed. He couldn't protect her like the others; which was all the more reasons for Shinn to let her go.

"You know, this all happened because of you."

Shinn gave a low growl, turning to find Shiro behind him. "What do you want?"

"I should ask you the same thing Shinn Asuka." Shiro took a step forward. By now the crowd had parted, and they were once again left in the empty hallway. "I had no idea you held so much power. The first pillar has been corrupted. And now thanks to you, Ayame Kashino no longer holds any influence over the student body. You've proven your point that the _rich_ would be nothing without their supporters, now _she_ paid the price." Shinn frowned. "Why look so mad Asuka? Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Why you!" Shinn marched forward, ready to show Shiro a piece of his mind, but was held back by a firm hand.

"Don't waste your energy on him." Rey advised. "He's not worth it."

With a final glare, Shinn wrenched his hand from Rey's grip and headed towards the opposite direction. As much as he hate to admit, Shiro was right, Ayame was getting hurt because of him. He sighed, disappointed in himself for what he's about to do. He knew his mother would disapprove; after all, it was her last wish. But things wouldn't go back to normal on its own. To ensure her safety, he _had_ to leave. So there he was, half an hour later, sitting outside of the principal's office. The secretary Hanajima came out of the moments later, mentioning for him that he was ready to be seen. It took a moment for him to get up; then taking a deep breath, Shinn opened the door to come face-to-face with Gilbert Dullindal.

"Ah, Asuka-san, one of my best. What can I do for you today?"

Shinn sat himself down on the familiar seat across from the principal, unable to believe that he was actually going to do it, but it had to be done. He took a deep breath, and came out with his request. "I wish to withdraw myself from Higrashi."

* * *

Haruka: Dum dum dummmm! What's going to happen to Shinn now? Heehee, have to wait until the next chapter to find out! Hey, is it true that fanfiction pulls your story if you write lemon? Because I'm planning to add some lemon in the next chapter, but I'm worried that fanfic might freeze my account. Should I though?


	5. Confrontations

A/N: Kahhhhhhhh! Sorry for the late update peeps. I've been super busy lately. I just got back from Vancouver. x-x I'm going to try to update once every week from now on, until the end of summer. Which is...in two weeks. - But yea... Enjoy! Oh, no LEMON in this chapter. Sorry! I'm moving it up to the next chapter...or maybe the one after that.

---

Chapter Five

Confrontation

During the days that he had been away from school, Shinn had gotten another job at a bakery some blocks away from his residence. It wasn't much, but at least it was good pay. He had busied himself from day to night for the past week that he had left Higrashi; taking in extra shifts every now and then. It seemed as though the more he worked, the more he was able to keep his mind off of _her_.

He had hard from Rei and Lunamaria that Higrashi was back to normal. Ayame Kashino had been off the hook, for now anyways. At least he was grateful for that. But when they asked him what he was going to do with his life, he simply blanked out. What _was _he to do? Scrubbing away at floors may last him for the time been, but what about later? Tokyo was such a competitive place; surly he won't be able to last. Perhaps he'll worry about that later. He had better things to attend to, like how to make the floors look new again.

The bakery was closing in an hour, and surely people wouldn't come to buy bread at this time of the day. All they would get would be left over crumbs anyways, so why not start the cleaning duty early? Suddenly, he noticed the unusual dress shoes in front of him. Shinn blinked. Hardly anybody who lives around this area has the money to buy shoes this expensive. He slowly looked up, his gaze traveling past black coat and dark blue tuxedo; pausing on white bow tie; then finally resting on yellowish brown eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here Nicol?" He blurted out the first thing that crossed his mind.

Nicol quirked an eyebrow. "I take it that I'm not welcomed?"

"No!" Then, thinking perhaps that wasn't exactly the right word to say, he quickly tried to fix his mistake, only to have it come out lamer than he intended. "I mean yes! I mean! Come in!"

His former classmate smiled before stepping into the small bakery. Shinn looked him from head to toe, then back up again. Any woman with eyes and a sensible brain would choose Nicol over him. Ayame was better off being with Nicol anyways. He couldn't help but snarl at the thought. He never had a chance, and probably never will.

Nicol had caught his little lip action, but decided not to ask. "So this is where you work?" He smiled. "I had to do a fair amount of stalking to find you."

For an instant, Shinn had thought that Nicol was gay. Then, knowing that couldn't possibly be the case, he waved it off. "It's not much, is it?" He glanced around, whipping his hands off on his work clothes.

"Oh no. It's really nice."

Shinn almost snorted at Nicol's politeness. _'Why does he have to be so god damn nice all the time?' _If Nicol's personality were a mess, Shinn would have beaten his face into his skull right about now. "You want something to drink?"

"No, it's ok. My driver is still waiting outside." Shinn wanted to ask why he was here then, but held his tongue against it. "I came to drop this off."

From the pocket of his coat, he pulled out a familiar blue box. Shinn's eyes widened at the sight of the present he had chosen so carefully for Ayame. Why does Nicol have it? Hadn't he left it in front of the Kashino mansion when Ayame had dropped it? He gazed into Nicol's eyes, and it had become all too clear. The boy had determined to give up.

"Bring it to her." Nicol held the box out in front of him.

And Shinn almost accepted it, yet he couldn't. They were too different. "_You_ bring it to her." He replied, almost angrily as he shoved Nicol's arm away. The box flew out of Nicol's hand and landed on the floor. "She's more _your _type."

"Who's to determine what she'll choose?" Nicol asked. "Listen, I've seen the way she looks at you Shinn. The one Ayame love is you. And if I can change her mind about it, I would." He wasn't joking. He was jealous. It pained him to see her with someone else, but it pained him even more to see her unhappy. If handing her happiness meant letting go, then so be it. "Perhaps if you never existed, then I would stand a chance. But your existence is irreversible."

"Aren't you even going to ask if I love her or not?" Shinn spat. He was angry, angry because Nicol knew so much more about her than him, angry because he was unable to face reality. "I don't love her."

"Don't you?" Nicol gave a short, hysterical laugh. "Then why did you leave Shinn?

Shinn flinched. "Because I hate it there. _This _is where I belong." He almost tried to convince himself more than Nicol.

"For this? You gave Higrashi up for this?" The violinist shook his head. "Your act only works on an audience." With that, he turned to leave, stopping halfway between the door and Shinn. "Ayame's never been the strongest of the bunch. If she falls, the chances of her getting back up are slim to none. If you still hold the slightest sympathy for her, then come back. You still have seven days to decide, after that; Dullindal-san will have no choice but to pull your record." With those last parting words, he left.

---

Simple elegance. That was the only thing that went through Cagalli's mind when she watched the chemistry between Athrun and his former partner, Ayame. Somehow, between her busy time schedule with the upcoming concert and the loads of schoolwork that their teachers had assigned, Athrun was able to convince Ayame to do a couple of lessons with Cagalli. No, that wasn't exactly the right way to put it. Ayame didn't do it because she wanted to; she did it to take her mind off of Shinn. It's been exactly a week since the last time they saw each other.

Though Cagalli had been trying her hardest to concentrate on Ayame's movements, she couldn't help but notice how she and Athrun were. They held no regards for personal boundaries, the exact reason why they were able to produce movements that brought fire to the audience. And as much as she hated to admit, she still went all-weird whenever Athrun came to close to her personal space. Sighing, she wondered if she'd ever be able to measure up to the great Ayame Kashino. She was bound to work her way into the media soon, for the news of Athrun's new partner wouldn't stay a secret to the public for long.

Athrun held his position, mentally counting to five before he let go of Ayame's leg. He was finally able to allow himself to calm his breathing. He frowned slightly at the stiffness of Ayame's left hand; she was never one to not pay attention to detail, but then he shook it off, thinking it was probably from the stress she's been under during the last couple of days. It felt good to be able to dance with her again, yet it had felt awkward to him when she agreed to dance for demonstration. They were having coffee three days ago, and she had volunteered when he said that he was having problems with his new partner. Ayame had never been one to get herself loaded up; she didn't coop well under pressure. Now, she was setting biting more than she can eat.

"Care to stay for lunch Ayame-san?" Cagalli asked politely, knowing that upper society people judge on posture and words.

Ayame hesitated for a moment, as if deciding. "Sorry, I can't." She said slowly. "I have a piano recital in an hour."

"Oh." Said Cagalli, sounding a little disappointed.

"Maybe next time?" Athrun chimed in, giving her his familiar smile.

"Yea." Ayame nodded. "Next time."

They said their good byes and parted ways. She hated lying to Athrun. There was no piano recital; Ayame was on her day off. She strolled along the almost deserted hallways of Higrashi, avoiding stares as she walked. Getting back on top? Yea right. She hasn't been able to travel outside of her circle alone. Kira had been doing more than necessary to help. Though the problem had been taken care of, there was no way to insure it wouldn't happen again.

Suddenly, her body collided with another, sending her stumbling backwards for a fraction of a second before she regained her balance. She looked up, quickly apologizing only to find Nicol there, looking as though he had just lost his favorite violin piece.

"Hey." He greeted awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was doing a few lessons with Athrun and…" She paused. "Stuff."

"Oh." Nicol made a terrible notion to smile yet failed miserable. She, however, did not catch his attempts. He glanced down at his shoes and bit his bottom lip, looking as though he had done something wrong. "You know, I saw Shinn yesterday." He watched carefully for her reactions and saw her flinch.

"Yea?" She replied a moment later, sounding uninterested. "What about it?"

"Did you know he's working at a bakery now?"

"How does that concern me?" She snapped, suddenly angry with him for bringing it up.

"I just thought you might want to know."

"You thought wrong."

"Really?" He advanced towards her, cornering her into a wall.

"Yes, really." She stumbled upon her own words, unable to find the right tone to speak.

"So you are saying you don't care anymore? That you would accept just about anybody again?" He raised an arm against the wall over her head, trapping her.

"Yes." She replied stubbornly.

"In that case." He leaned into her, closing the space between them.

Ayame watched as her childhood friend made a move. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. Why was he doing this to her? Then suddenly, out of nowhere, it became all too clear. Why he was always so close to her, why he left for England when Athrun had gotten together with her, and why he was back now. Nicol liked her. She known, she had known from the very beginning, but was trying to suppress any acknowledgement. She knew if she hadn't met Shinn, then she would have probably accepted Nicol. But it was too late now. She turned her head sharply, avoiding him. For a split second, she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"See." Nicol forced a smile. "You do care."

"Nicol, please…" She pleaded.

He turned his back on her, unable to look her in the eyes. "627, Sakura Road."

"Nicol."

"You should see him." He almost choked on his own words, but he knew he had to keep going. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."

"No-"

"Go!" It was the first time he raised his voice at her.

Though it hurt like hell, he kept his calm expression. He wanted her to be happy, and watched as she advanced forward, one step at a time. At first she was unsure of herself, as if hesitating on whether she should go or not, then her steps became rapid. And it was at that very moment, Nicol realized that she had chosen between the two of them. He stood there, half expecting himself to scream out, to take everything back, to beg for her to stay. He was loosing his chance. He didn't want to let go; yet he knew it would be a mistake to ask her to stay. He loved her too much. Slowly, Nicol turned, only to see her back disappear around the corner, and his heart sunk. Ayame was gone.

---

"Athrun?"

She didn't know when she started picking up the habit of having coffee; perhaps Cagalli had gotten it off of Athrun. After Ayame left, she and Athrun had decided to go to their usual place after practice and get some refreshments. And as they sat inside their small cubical, Cagalli couldn't help but let her mind wonder towards the things her brother had told her days ago.

'_She went nuts.'_

"Yea?" Athrun looked up with a little smile, setting his coffee back on the table.

"Um…" Her eyes shifted uncomfortably, as if not knowing where to start. "Is it true that Ayame…?"

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "Ayame what?"

She gathered up her courage. "Is mentally unstable?" She tried to put it into nicer words, but halfway into it, she, like Kira, realized that there was no nice way to describe it. So she simply spat out whatever came to her mind.

Cagalli watched carefully for Athrun's reaction, and got what she was waiting for. He nearly spilled coffee all over himself as his left hand suddenly twitched. For a while, there was silence. Athrun glanced down, not knowing whether to start or not. Knowing Cagalli, she was bound to ask sooner or later. It was inevitable. If he doesn't tell her, someone else will, and he wasn't so sure that others wouldn't tell her some lame ass made belief fairy tale.

"Yea." He admitted truthfully. "She is actually."

"Oh." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, questioning her motive now. Had it been a good idea to ask Athrun?

More silence. Then, out of nowhere, Athrun began. "She wasn't always that way." He paused, as if not knowing where to start. "Because of various reasons, Ayame's family had always been very close to mine. So naturally, we never parted from each other's sight. She was never the smartest, nor the strongest, but always the happiest and most confidant. But then, one day, all that changed."

_Flashback…_

_"You can't catch me!" She smiled as she charged through the Kashino mansion; her dress was covered in dirt, yet she was happy, truly happy._

_Athrun followed closely behind, seemingly chasing, yet in reality, he was letting her win. It was only fair this way. She could never outrun him; she knew that fairly well. He was only letting her win to keep the game going. He loved her then, even at a very young age, before he even knew what the word 'love' meant, he had loved her. _

_The two rounded a corner, Athrun still at Ayame's heels. He watched as she neared Kashino-san's library. Athrun knew it would be rude to barge in. Gradually, he slowed down, wanting not to take their childish plays into the adults' conversations. Earlier, he had seen Ayame's parents enter, and hadn't seen them come out since. _

_There were mumbles coming from the library, and to Athrun, that seemed rather peculiar. For Ayame's elder brother, Hotoshi Kashino, who was at least nine years older than him in age, had been standing outside, seemingly eavesdropping. He raised an eyebrow at Hotoshi's actions, knowing that it was unlike him to listen in to other people's conversation._

_"Onii-san?"_

_Hotoshi put a finger to his lips, mentioning to the two to keep quiet. Athrun looked around, as if trying to see if anyone was watching. Then slowly made his way towards the siblings. He knew what he was about to do was wrong, yet curiosity got the best of him, and he too, lined up beside the door. Although he could only make out bits and pieces of the conversation, he knew it hadn't been a good one. And he was sure he had heard Kashino-san swear once or twice. _

_"Are Okaa-san and Otou-san fighting?" Ayame asked, her childish innocent eyes glancing towards her elder brother for answers._

_"Yea." Hotoshi turned, half listening to what his sister was saying._

_There was a few more shouting, then a clash of something breaking against the marble floor. Ayame flinched at the loudness of their voices, but could say no more. Athrun listen intently from outside, and thought he caught the word 'cheating'. Without warning, Ayame had broken loose of her brother's grip. The pressure was too great. Her parents were supposed to be perfect, like the perfect couple on the newspapers and magazines. They shouldn't fight, they weren't allowed. The doors to her father's library flew open under her push; what was in front of her shook her to the bones. Slowly, Ryuu Kashino turned towards his daughter; gun in hand. His face held an insane smile._

_"Sumimasen Ayame."_

_With those last words, he pulled the trigger. A dark stain smudged the far wall, and with a sudden jot, the body hit the floor. Ayame watched, eyes wide, unable to sustain the scene in front of her. It all seemed like a bad nightmare, but it was far from an illusion. This was reality. For a moment, neither Athrun nor Hotoshi made a motion to move, each too stunned by what had happened in front of them. Footsteps echoed the hallways as maids rushed from their chores to see what the commotion was about. Hotoshi rushed forward, covering Ayame's eyes with his hand, yet the damage has already been done. _

_End of flashback…_

"She was never quite the same after that. She smiled less, played less, and lost human contact." Athrun sighed, brushing back his hair with his left hand. "But of course, how could any of us expect her to be the same after what happened?"

"I had no idea."

"We. The people around her had been protecting her ever since. Shielding, if you want to call it." Athrun went on explaining. "And perhaps, in a way, our protection has done more bad than good. We had cleared any obstacle life may throw at her, and in a way, that has destroyed her." He gave a crocked smile. "Maybe that's why she was afraid of dealing with her feelings for Shinn."

Cagalli studied Athrun's face carefully. A question was on the edge of her tongue, yet she doesn't know whether she should as him or not. Finally, gathering her courage, she spoke. "Do you…love her?" It had been bothering her for the last couple of weeks, and she had no idea why.

He hesitated for a moment. "In a way, it was more responsibility than love."

---

Cagalli gave an inward sigh of relief. Even though she didn't know why. Lately, her heart had been beating out of control whenever Athrun was around. Slowly, she rested a hand in his, reassuring him with her warmth. She felt his pain. Somehow, Athrun felt responsible for Ayame's loss, and Cagalli wanted to heal him. For Ayame wasn't the only one with wounds from past memories.

She took another sip of her coffee, seemingly preoccupied with her textbook, yet really, she was keeping watch on the door. Ayame had been sitting in the café for the last hour, waiting. For the past two days, she had been continually coming back to the same booth, waiting for Shinn to show up. She had been to the bakery a couple of days before and found out he had quit without notice. Now, she was sitting at their last connection, waiting for him to show up. It was her last chance.

Ayame had made her decision after the chat with Nicol; she was done hiding in the shadows. She wanted to be with Shinn, yet his absence was giving her doubts about what's to become of them. Suddenly, a beaker of milk was set on her table, and she looked up excitedly, expecting Shinn to be there in his uniform. Her hopes nearly crashed and burned when she saw Rey there.

"Hey." Ayame greeted, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"He probably won't be coming today."

Ayame was afraid of what Rey pointed out, but he said it anyways. "Yea." She could only nod in agreement.

"Get some rest, you are starting to look old."

Despite Rey's weird sense of humor, she laughed, probably for the first time in days. Quickly, she gathered her things. As much as she hated to admit, she knew it was already over. Shinn had been trying to avoid her. Maybe he really didn't feel the same way. She had laid it out plain and simple, she liked him. It hit her like a train. He didn't feel the same way. They were different; he had said it. But if it didn't matter to her, why should it matter to him? Then again, love wasn't a one-way thing. And by shadowing him everywhere, maybe he was getting more and more annoyed of her.

"I'll let him know you were here." Rey smiled a little as he walked her to the door.

"Arigato Rey-san. But I don't think it matters to him anymore."

And with that, she walked out the door. Feeling confused by her words, he went back to work. It was only minutes after Ayame left when Shinn came in. Rey didn't see him until moments later when he came out the back, ready to work. This sudden turn of events gave Rey quite a surprise. Only days ago, Shinn had been talking to him about quitting the job at the café; now he was back to work.

"Where have you been?" Rey asked from behind the counter while pouring himself a cup of coffee. It was going to be a long shift.

"Here. There. I've been around." Shinn smiled.

Rey rolled his eyes. "Your girl was just here."

His companion nearly dropped his coffee pot. "What? Here? Ayame was here?"

"Hai." Rey looked up, a smirk forming on the corner of his lip. "She left just a couple of minutes ago."

This time, Shinn _did _drop his pot. But that was the last thing on his mind. In a mere second, he was out the door again, dashing down the street as he chased after her. Rey shook his head as he stared at the mess Shinn had made on the floor, mentally reminding himself to take his pot first the next time he knew something like this would happen.

"They are both idiots when it comes to love."

---

Shinn dashed down the walkway with the dreaded feeling that he was already to late. A sea of heads clouded his vision. There were tourists, grandmothers, and eighth graders on field trips. He glanced frantically, trying to find Ayame, and finally, his eyes landed on raven black hair up ahead. A smile spread across his lips as he ran forward, all the while calling out her name. She either didn't hear him, or was ignoring him on purpose; he only hoped it was the sooner.

In another second he was right behind her, calling out her name, yet she kept walking. His heart sunk. So she _was _ignoring him. He rested a hand on her shoulder and nearly tumbled over at the unfamiliar face. Quickly apologizing, he let the stranger off on her way. He held the urge to pull his hair in frustration. He wanted to see her, _needed _to see her.

"Shinn."

Shinn looked up at the familiar tone of voice, and as he turned, he found, to his amazement, reality standing in a sea of rays. Never had he been so glad to see anyone in his life, and at that moment, he realized the hard truth. He loved her. He had been afraid to admit it, but now, seeing her again; he hadn't felt so certain about anything before. He advanced, stopping only when he was inches away from her.

"I though…"

"That I left?" Ayame finished for him.

"Yes. But then I saw you. I mean, I thought I saw-" He stuttered. "Here." He finally gave up trying to explain, took out a small blue box from his pocket, and handed it to her.

The look on Ayame's face was that of shock and anxiety. And as she slowly opened the box, she saw the most exotic beauty she has ever seen. There, staring back at her was a simple white ribbon. It wasn't decorated with diamonds or gold, nothing that she was accustomed to, but it was the most rare piece of object she had received yet, for with it followed the one thing she was unable to have, happiness.

"Let me take care of you."

And without a second thought, Ayame reached up, and kissed him.

---

A/N: Yea...not the best or the longest chapter, but I'm working on it. Omfg...-stares at all the people who can update once every two weeks- - How do you guys do it? I don't even have time to SLEEP! Once again, sorry for the late update! And thanks to all you guys who reviewed! You guys rock!


	6. The Beginning of End

Haruka: OK people. I know my lack of updating is inexcusable, but I've been really, REALLY busy for the past year. I am now attending University, so that probably means I have even less time to update. I will, however, work out some sort of plan, so there will be an new update at least once a month. OK, that's a lie. I do, however, plan to finish this story up. And yes, there is going to be a sequel. See, I have everything planned out in my head...I just need to transfer all that onto paper!! But yea, without further ado! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Six

The Beginning of End

Shinn Asuka's day was composed of many different parts. A quarter of it belonged to work, the other to school, leaving only half of his day to do whatever he wanted. Sleep took up most of his free time. Sometimes he thanked god for giving him a good brain, for he would never be able to afford to attend a school like Higrashi without a scholarship.

Things were finally starting to get back to normal. That is, if it were ever normal. For a moment, Shinn stared into the brightness of the sun. It was a bad habit that he had picked up when he was young. It wasn't good for his eyes; his mother had told him that many times during the years that she had still been alive, but he had failed to listen as a child, and in turn, had been losing bits and pieces of his visions ever since.

It was a Sunday afternoon. He had been awake since the crack of dawn, and had failed to get back to sleep ever since. Rey had left a note the day before, saying that there was an emergency back home, and had left his best friend on a short notice. Now it was just him and the empty apartment. He had called Ayame earlier that morning. If there was one thing that he'd learned over the course of the week, it was that Ayame was busy every Sunday. To what exact cause was unknown to him. He tried to ask her many times during what little time that they had together, yet had gained nothing but sudden agitation. Ayame had made it clear that it was her business, and although she'd welcomed him to her world, there was still no place for him in her sea of void. So to him, she was simply unavailable on Sundays.

He drew himself away from the balcony. How long has it been since he last visited that place? He had questioned himself many times during the course of the year; he even had the trip planned out in his mind, yet never actually gathered the courage to go. Truth was, he was scared of returning to that day. Yet the memories seemed to latch onto him like cancer. Shinn wanted to forget it all, the smoke of the car crash, the smell of blood, the way his sister's lifeless corpse laid in that black body bag. He wanted so much to take that day and erase it out of his life, but he couldn't. Memories are what defined a person, and without it, he would just be an empty shell.

"Might as well." He grabbed the jacket that lay on the living room floor and walked out the door.

* * *

She stared blankly at the e-mail in front of her. It was from her brother. He wanted her to go to New York. It seemed as though her steps were planned out for her ever since the day she was born. If Ayame's parents hadn't passed away, she would probably end up like Athrun, a human puppet without a mind of its own. Though she knew it was in Athrun's wishes to revolt, but it would be useless to fight against the Zala Empire. They held too much influence over Japan, and without the power that followed behind the Zala name; Athrun would be nothing. Society had it that the future heirs of the four family name would have nothing to worry about, but reality was, that they were nothing but caged birds. They wouldn't be able to survive one day out in the open. Athrun knew. Kira knew, and even Lacus.

For that, she was furious. This sudden anger seemed to have burned into the back of her mind. She knew it was probably for her own good, but she was not ready to throw away the things she fought for, not was she ready to leave _him_. Though it was unreasonable for Hotoshi to ask for her return, she could still understand her brother's motivations. She had almost reached a legal age, and it would soon be time for her to take her fair part in the legal play of the Kashino Corp. Knowing her stepfather, though, it would be his sincerest desires to see her parish from this world. For if she were to die before she was able to transfer her share of the company under her brother's name, her stokehold would eventually belong to him. Still, it was against her wishes, and Hotoshi knew better to push her.

"Ayame-san." She looked up at her name. "He's ready for you."

Ayame mumbled a thank you and closed her laptop. She had blown off Shinn's offer for a movie, and instead, she spent that time sitting in her shrink's office. How long has been since the day that she was subjected to be his patient? She couldn't remember. It was suggested that she attend ever since _that_ day. She closed her eyes, wanting not to remember. It haunted her. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and got up.

Ishizu was a tall and lean man. His slanted eyes were hidden beneath a thick pair of glasses. He had been Ayame's doctor ever since she was young, and had always been the part of her memory that she wished to suppress. Was he her friend? No. It wasn't in his interest to make friends with his patients; he had learned from his mistakes, they would only become too attached, and eventually grown to depend on the doctor. The man watched from behind his desk as Ayame made her way through the door. She had outgrown herself over the years. He still remembered the first time they met. She was only a scared child, and he was still a young doctor. He hadn't seen anyone quite like her; she simply refused to let go of the past. Although Ayame had been able to break out of that void that somehow held her back, she was still refusing to let go of the anger, and perhaps, she was the only patient in his medical history record, that had not completely opened up to him.

Instead of taking her usual seat by the window and getting ready for her treatment, she sat across from him today, and spoke softly. "You lied. I'm not getting better. I'm getting worse."

* * *

He stepped into his father's office. It was late in the afternoon, and he had been called back from the floors of the studio. Athrun brushed back a lock of blue hair from his eyes, and straightened his shirt. He needed to look presentable for his father. It had been a month since the last time he saw Patrick Zala. His father's business trips had made it hard for father and son time, even though they live under the same roof. Not that quality time spent between the two was expected. He doesn't even remember the last time they had a normal conversation. Under the Zala household, everything was run under tight orders, and old-fashioned traditions. Who a Zala talk to, and what sort of relationship a Zala must be able to gain with other members of the other higher-ranking family was out of their control. One wrong step would result in the next day's headline.

Athrun hated the limelight. Once, when he was thirteen, the members of the Zala family were to take a simple family photo, and sent it into the daily newspaper. For whatever reason was unknown to him. He had refused to smile that day, questioning why he was forced to do something against his wishes. He still remembered the hard stroke his father sent his way that afternoon. He had the wind knocked out of him for the first time in his life, and remembered the words his father said afterwards. Patrick Zala had made it clear, that under his household, it was either follow orders from him, or be eliminated. From that moment forward, he feared his father. Moreover, he feared what his father was capable of, and rendered himself as helpless as a stringed puppet.

He stopped in front of his father's door and knocked. When a signal to enter came from the inside, he took a deep breath, and pushed the doors open. There, sitting in the middle of the room, behind a pile of papers, was Patrick Zala. The president of Zala Corp was a serious man with strong ideologies, and those who opposed him never lived to tell the tale. He looked up when Athrun entered, his eyebrows twitching slightly at the sides. Athrun immediately tensed. He was in trouble.

"Sit down."

And like a toy solider, he made his way across the room, taking the seat opposite of his father's. Athrun knew that look. When Patrick Zala was not pleased, his left eyebrow twitches. Which puzzled Athrun. He had been on his best behaviour in front of his father at all times. Of course, he also made sure that what went on _behind_ his father's back never went into his ears. Perhaps it was a leakage of information?

"I understand you've been spending a lot of time at the studio lately." Patrick Zala spoke, his voice sounded with power. He didn't bother to wait for an answer. "I allowed you to dance because of the future heir of the Kashino throne, but clearly, you can't even handle as simple a task that that." For the first time, Patrick Zala looked up at his son, his eyes reflecting a man who've been hardened in order to achieve his goals. "You will stop wasting your time at the studio starting tomorrow."

"But father-"

"But nothing. That's an order." Patrick Zala made it final. "That's all."

For a moment Athrun looked like he had the wind knocked out of him for the second time by his father. It was useless to argue the man. Talking back to him would give Patrick Zala the impression that he was challenging his authority. So Athrun did the thing he does the best. "Yes father."

He obeyed.

* * *

Shinn stood staring at the flowers in front of the tombstone, and wondered who beside himself would come and visit this place. It had been a while since Shinn visited, so long that he was almost ashamed of himself. He, himself, had brought flowers. White roses. They were Mayu's favourite.

He should have died with them that day. He had been telling himself the same thing over and over ever since the accident. Shinn placed the flowers beside the white lilies that were already by the tomb, remembering that they were his mother's favourite. Suddenly, it hit him. There was a time long ago, when a friend of his father's would come and visit when he was young. After the accident, this person took care of Shinn for a while, before he got the scholarship to Higrashi.

"It's been a while, Shinn Asuka." Shinn turned at the voice, finding a man with a tall nose and handsome figure standing behind him.

His name was Yokashi Tanami. Shinn heard from his father that this Yokashi character had been in love with his mother during college years, but never got the chance to get close enough. After his parents married, he became the godfather to the children. To Shinn, Yokashi felt like the last family left in this dreadful world. He smiled up at the man, grateful that he still remembered his mother's favourite flowers. Perhaps the man was still in love with his mom, maybe that was the reason why he never married.

"Uncle Tanami." Shinn's tone of voice was polite.

* * *

She walked mindlessly down the middle of the street, her eyes unfocused. If anything, Ayame wasn't getting any better. The events of that day replayed over and over again in her mind. It began to rain. People rushed up and down the street for refuge. She did nothing to speed up, allowing the cold water to wash over her body. She wanted to scream out, wanted it to stop haunting her.

Without knowing it, she had reached Shinn's apartment. She buzzed him. There was no answer. He wasn't home. She placed herself on the stairs, unable to move. A few by passers gave her a bazaar look when they passed, but none had the heart to stop and ask if she needed any help.

"Shinn…"

* * *

"I heard a lot went on at school."

Shinn blushed. His uncle had a way of knowing things. They were sitting inside a small café a couple of blocks away from the cemetery. "Yea."

His uncle looked away from him, as if trying to contain whatever he was going to say next. "Do you like her?"

Tanami watched for a reaction, and nearly allowed a smirk to escape his lips. But he wouldn't let that happen. Surely Shinn would see through his plans if he were to allow that to happen. He waited patiently until Shinn gave a nod. _'Bingo.' _He thought. He was a born actor. There would be no problem fooling the child.

A troubled look crossed his face. "I was afraid that might happen."

Shinn frowned. "Is there something the matter?" He said slowly.

"I'm sorry Shinn. But whatever I've kept from you, it's for your own good." Tanami said.

"What are you saying Uncle Tanami?"

Tanami looked at Shinn seriously. "Your parents' accident wasn't really an accident. At the time, your father held one of the top positions of the Kashino Corp. There was an argument, and your father threatened to spill all of the Kashino's dirty secrets. The accident happened a day later. The breaks were cut."

The man sat back and waited for the boy's reaction. Shinn felt like somebody had purposely ripped his heart from his chest. His mind travelled back to the girl. What would that make them? Enemies? Thousands of pictures flashed in his mind. The black body bags, his sister's corpse, the first time they met, the first time he hugged her, the first time he kissed her. He wished then and there that this was all a nightmare, and that he would soon wake up in his bed with Rey nagging at him. He didn't want to believe it was real, that the man sitting in front of him was lying. But what would Tanami gain out of this?

"What proof do you have?" Shinn demanded.

"Shinn, don't be so naïve. The Kashinos aren't stupid. Do you think they would still be in a position of power if there were any proofs left behind?"

His world came crashing down on him. They were enemies; they belonged to different worlds. They didn't fit in the first place. It was like trying to push two magnets that were from the same pole together, hopeless, and impossible. What was he to do from that moment forward?

"You realize what you have to do, right?"

But he wasn't listening. He got up from his seat, apologized quickly, and left the café with a blank look on his face. Tanami smirked as he watched the young boy leave. His plans were put to action, and he didn't have to do a single thing.

Shinn felt like he had just been stabbed a couple of times through the heart as he walked down the muddy sidewalk. It was still raining outside, he, unlike many others, was in no rush to get home. As a matter of fact, he didn't even know where he was going. To others, he might have looked like a wondering soul, for he had walked around the same block for at least four times before getting on with his way. For once in his life, he had thought that something might have worked out. But no, she _had _to be the daughter of the enemy. How would that affect their relationship? He didn't even want to think about that right now, but the more he tried to block her out, the more her image appeared in front of his eyes.

He had been walking mindlessly when he realized he had reached his apartment. He shook his head. He would think about it after he dries himself off. What would he do if she were to appear in front of him right now? Would he be angry? Would he want to hurt her? His family would still be alive if it weren't for Kashino Corp. He would still hear Mayu's voice, his mother would still be making him breakfast, and he wouldn't be alone for this world. He hated the Kashinos for that. But was it right for him to pin all that on her? What would his reaction be the next time he sees…

Her.

She was sitting in front of his doorsteps like a lost child. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. He could tell that she had been crying, and it pained him to see her like this. She got up, rushed forward, and wrapped her arms around him. Shinn watched her; his hands were numb. They were both wet from the rain. He wondered how long she had been sitting there all by herself. Her body trembled in his arms. She was scared. What was he to do? He did the only thing he _could_ do. Slowly, Shinn wrapped his arms around Ayame's body. This would be the last time he showed her any warmth.

He loved her.

Yet at the same time, he wanted to hurt her the same way her family hurt him.

* * *

Haruka: Sorry this is so short, but that's where I wanted to cut this off. I've been having a bit of a problem with obsessing over JJ Lin. He's the cutest C-pop singer I've ever encountered. 3 JJ 4EVER! So when I'm not updating, you'll know who's been distracting me. Review! 


	7. Betrayal

Haruka: OK kids! Think of this as a Christmas present. Except it's not really Christmas yet. But work with me here people! Anyways, there's a slight lemon in there. I don't know if I should change the rating though. Kids these days knows everything. But eh...give a couple of suggests in the review? So I was going through this person's story the other day, and this particular term stroke my interest. Now come to think of it, I never really learned what the term 'Mary Sue' meant. Anyone care to explain?

* * *

Chapter Seven

Betrayal

Cagalli made her way towards the locker room. She was, as usual, expecting a good scolding from Athrun the moment she steps onto the studio floor. It's been that way ever since they were partnered up. He would always be half an hour early, and she would always be running ten to fifteen minutes behind. Then he would scold her for being careless with the time. Evidence had it that she wasn't ever going to be on time, so she wondered how he could remain so persistent on scolding her. However, that morning, things were different.

She distinctively remembered the anger she felt when she was there, and he was nowhere to be found. It was so unlike Athrun to be late, let along not show up at all. It would finally be her turn to scold him, assuming he would show up later on. That, however, was not the case. For he did not show up for the rest of the day, and she waited in the studio for four hours, her expression growing more deadly with each passing minute. What's even worse was every time she thought of leaving, her mind would always assume that he would show up the next moment, and she wasn't about to pass up on a chance to scold the famous Athrun Zala. So quite naturally, Cagalli was planning his death sentence when he took the liberty to not show up at all. She could hear the other girls whispering behind her back about how his superior skill had finally gotten tired of her inability to measure up. In fact, when Athrun didn't show up for the rest of the week, it only proved them right.

Not only did Athrun start to cut class, he also made an effort to avoid Cagalli as much as possible. Which caused Cagalli to think that it really was her lack of skills that caused him to grow tired of her. One misunderstanding led to another. It didn't get any better from there. For Patrick Zala demanded that Athrun should take as much time as possible to learn the basic steps of running a company, which caused his school time to lessen a significant amount.

Athrun gave a long sigh behind a mountain of books. He gets statistics; in fact he rocked at it. It wasn't the work that troubled him; it was just that he wasn't particularly interested in running a company. The long business trips, the talks with company bosses, having to face all those people that only wanted to suck up to him because he was his father's son, these were the things that annoyed him. In the real world, nine out of ten people out there were fakes. They suck up to you when they need a favour, once they realize you are all washed up, they wouldn't take the time to take a second look at you. And that's what Athrun hated. Fakes; people who would only smile at you when they wanted a share of your power.

He gave another long sigh and stood up from behind his table. It's been two days since the last time he attended school. It wouldn't be long before his father transfers the family business under his name. Athrun would have to make him proud, because he was the only child of the Zala household. He hated himself for it.

From time to time he would wonder what it would be like to be normal, to go out and roll in the mud with his friends when he was young, to be able to go to a movie with when he was a teenager, and to be able to achieve his own dreams when he becomes an adult. These things seemed simple to an average person, but to him, they were out of reach. He didn't quite understand the reason why so many people wanted to be in his shoes. It was like sitting in jail without the cell bars. To put it into simpler terms, those who would give anything to be who he was didn't have a clue as to the responsibility behind it all. One wrong move from the chairman of the Zala Corp. could cause thousands of job losses, and it scared him to death every time he thought about the responsibilities.

He glanced at the servants standing on either side of his study and snorted in disgust. These people had it easy for them. He would give anything to be in their shoes, to be anything but Athrun Zala. It was impossible. You can't choose your parents.

* * *

Shinn sat there that day beside Ayame, wondering what would cause her to be so upset. He couldn't help but notice the almost insane look in her eyes, as if something terrible had occurred. All he could do was to hold her close. He hated to see her hurt, but at the same time, that was his objective: to hurt her for hurting him. 

"What happened?" He finally allowed the words to escape his lips, having carefully observed her all this time, he thought it was finally safe to ask.

"Shinn…" She wrapped her arms around his waist. She was cold to his touch. "You won't leave me, right?" Her actions almost seemed as though she was a child asking for protection.

He held her. It was the only thing he could do. "No." It was a lie; he had lied to her for the very first time. It would be impossible for him to keep this relationship with her, he would break it to her later, but for now, he would play along.

To his surprise, she began to kiss him. Ayame didn't seem the type that would be making the first move, but he was wrong, like he was about a lot of things. What's more surprising to him was that he was reacting to her movements. It almost seemed as though his body had a mind of its own. He caressed her face as he kissed her back, for a moment, allowing his passion to take control instead of his mind. Their tongues entangled with each other's. He felt himself moving forward, gently pushing her down with his body. His lips travelled from her lips to her neck, where he sucked gently, being careful not to hurt her. His hands moved to the back of her shirt, where he found the clip and quickly unhooked her bra.

She had an arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Ayame could feel the heat travel from his body to hers. She allowed a pleasured moan to escape her throat. She was completely his to have, if he wanted her, he would have her. His lips continued to travel downwards. Like any other male, Shinn lusted for her. Taking one of her nipples into his mouth, he gently nibbled on it, causing her to moan.

"I love you."

Shinn jolted suddenly, having heard her confession; he was unable to go on. Her words stroke him like a bus in the street, and he realized what he was doing was wrong. They were supposed to be enemies, not lovers. He stopped. A sudden surge of emotion rushed over him. He hadn't realized what he was doing up until that point. All he knew was he lusted for her. During that moment, enemies or not, he wanted to be with her. But he had to stop himself before he makes the biggest mistake of his life.

She was taken aback by his sudden actions. "Is something the matter?"

He looked at her, then sighed and sat up. He quickly found an excuse. "It's just going too fast."

It was wrong; he knew it was wrong. No matter how much he desired her, it was still a mistake. Enemies aren't supposed to sleep together. He wished she would leave him before he attempts something foolish again. But she didn't, Ayame needed someone with her right now, and she chose him.

"I'm sorry." He apologized half heartedly, turning his back on her.

She sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm just glad you are always there for me."

* * *

It was Friday morning, and Athrun had finally made an effort to come to school. He didn't wish to fall too far behind from the rest of the class, though he knew it didn't matter, for he was guaranteed to graduate. The hallways were, as usual, busy. It seemed as though the gossip doubled during the time he was gone. In his left hand, he clenched a letter of resignation for the teachers of his department. He knew they would be disappointed in him, but it can't be helped. 

"Athrun Zala!"

He heard his name loud and clear, and knew exactly who it was. He had been so busy with the C.E.O lessons lately that he completely forgot about Cagalli. The original plan was to call and tell her the situation, and later perhaps find a way to apologize, but that plan was put on hold when he became overwhelmed with the amount of work that his father has assigned him. Now, he was forced to face a Cagalli that looked like she had walked straight out of Saw II. Equip her with a chainsaw, and she won't even have to audition for the part.

"Where have you been?" She demanded. Half the hallway stopped to see what the commotion was about. Cagalli, though, didn't seem to notice.

"Good morning to you too." He said flatly.

"Don't you good morning me!" She bellowed. "You better have a good reason for not showing up! Because while you were off doing god-knows-what, I was stuck in the studio all by myself without a partner!" Cagalli didn't seem to notice Athrun's change of expression. For his face was beginning to show annoyance. Normally, emotion sensitive people would shut up right about now, but she went on. "Honestly, I don't even know why we're partnered up."

Athrun frowned. The last thing he needed was an eight AM scold. "Frankly, neither do I." His words came out harsher than he intended, and he saw the sudden change of expression on Cagalli's face.

He felt his heart clutch for an instant, and then the guilt was gone. It was better this way. Though they weren't from different worlds, they were still in different situations. Kira was entrusted with the family fortune; Cagalli was free to do whatever she wanted. Sometimes Athrun found himself at bitter ends with Cagalli's complains.

Truth be told, he didn't think anybody understood him. Even though his best friend Kira was in the same shoes as him, Kira for one, wasn't against the idea of running the family business. Which was the exact same reason why he always thought that he was more selfish than his violet eyed friend. But was an attempt to achieve his dreams really an act of self-centeredness? He could care less right now. All he wanted was to get away from her hurt filled eyes. Not another word was to be said as Athrun walked past her, his shoulder brushing hers lightly as he went.

It took Cagalli a couple of minutes to react. She thought it was Athrun's dream to dance, and he himself had reflected on how much he loved the way people's stares seemed to follow him around the dance floor, so why the sudden change of attitude?

"Athrun!" She called out after him, stopping him dead in his tracks. She didn't turn around to face him, she was afraid another glance into his eyes would cause her to loose control. "Why?" Her voice shook.

He stopped, but gave no answer. For the longest time, he had been asking himself the same question. Why did things turn out the way it did? How could he have let this happen? And most important of all, why did he not protest? Then he remembered, because he was Athrun Zala. He could run from his fate, but at what cost? He wanted to say, "Because I'm scared." But when he attempted to give his speech, no sound came to his voice. Instead, he just kept going.

She whirled around quickly, taking a hold of his wrist before he had the chance to get away. "Why are you throwing away your dream?" She couldn't contain herself any longer. Cagalli allowed the emotion to flow through her. She felt tears sliding down her cheeks. Her frustration got the best of her, and she began to loose control over herself. "You said you wanted to perform, and perhaps open your own studio one day! Was that all a lie?"

By now a couple of by passers had stopped dead in their tracks to see what was going on. Whispers were heard amongst the student body. The two, however, were unaware of their surroundings. Her words stabbed at him. He realized then and there that he was letting go of his dreams. A sudden rush of anger surged through his mind. Being the only son of the Zala household, it was certain that he was entrusted upon with great power, and with that power, came great responsibilities. Though he wanted nothing to do with what was given to him, he knew that if he acted selfishly, it would be the workers that would be the sacrifice for his decision. He assumed that she couldn't understand that, because she wasn't in his position.

He pulled his arm free from her grip. "Don't pretend like you know me." Athrun started to leave again.

"If you want something bad enough, then you should go after it Athrun Zala!" Cagalli screamed after him. Little did she know; her words were cutting him up inside. "You are making a mistake Athrun! Please!" No matter how hard she begged that day, he did not stop. Not because he didn't want to, but because the load he was carrying was too heavy.

* * *

"Shinn!" 

He stopped at the sound of his name. He had been thinking about all the things that had happened during his time together with Ayame. After much decision, he had come to the conclusion that he had to end the relationship. "Lunamaria."

"Man, you walk fast." She had to catch her breath once she caught up to him.

"Yea, eh." He smiled sheepishly, "What's up?"

"Well, since you met your _girlfriend_, we haven't really had much time to spent with each other. So…I have a proposal." She pulled two movies out from her school bag. "It's Friday night, and your place is free. Rey's working late today, so we can sneak in some time together, right?" She winked, watching for his reactions.

He shrugged. "Fine with me."

They had reached his apartment within ten minutes' time, and had popped in the movie right after they got there. It had been a while since they spent one on one time together like this, so it was a good relief for Shinn. However, when the party date was almost drawing to an end, Lunamaria had other things in mind.

"It's getting pretty late." Shinn stated, looking out the window. "Come on Luna, I'll walk you home."

"I don't want to." Lunamaria answered, looking down. "Can I stay here tonight?"

Shinn paused for a moment. "Don't you think it's a little bit inappropriate?" He stated, heading for the door. "Even if we _are_ best friends, you are still a girl, and I'm a-" He stopped, feeling her arms around him.

Lunamaria buried her face into his back. "It's not fair." Her voice filled with a childish whining. "It's not fair Shinn. We've know each other for at least five years, then _she_ comes, and suddenly she becomes the center of your universe."

"Luna…"

"I hate this Shinn! I hate it!" Tears began to form in her eyes. "I liked you for the longest time! But I was afraid, I was afraid that we couldn't be friends anymore after." She went on, her eyes now wet. "I know it's selfish of me to ask of you Shinn, but please, just for one night…even if it's pretend!"

He turned around, breaking her hold. Why did it have to be like this? "Please Luna…listen."

She didn't allow him to finish, _couldn't_allow him to finish. It pained her to see him defend _her._But tonight, she was going to have him for her own. Without holding anything back, she kissed him with all of the passion she felt towards her friend. She lusted for him for the longest time, which was exactly the reason why she got so angry when her best friend started to date someone out of their world. She hated Ayame for that, hated the girl for taking all that she owned. Now, Lunamaria was taking him back.

Shinn fought back initially, but stopped, knowing it was no use. All he felt that night was confusion. How could he have let this happen? Why hadn't he noticed? And most important of all, why wasn't he doing anything to stop this? Everything happened so fast; the next half an hour seemed a total blur. All he remembered of that night was Lunamaria undressing him, then the sensation he felt when her lips made contact with his manhood. Before he knew it, he was on the couch, half naked with his best friend on top of him. To him, it was a form of relief. All the while what his uncle said to him repeated over and over again in his head. The death of his family, the relationship between his enemy and the one he loved. Why was it all happening at once? Why did things have to turn out the way it did?

He doesn't remember feeling anything towards her; all that he _did_remember was her satisfying his lust for the female body. When the business was over with, she fell against him, panting, trying to catch her breath. Then, dread washed over him when he noticed someone at the door, watching all this time.

Ayame.

She looked as though she was in a daze. A hand was covering her mouth in disbelief. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes; hurt. "I'm sorry." Her voice trembled. "I just thought I'd drop by after practice…I'm sorry."

She ran.

Shinn's heart sunk. _'She saw.' _Perhaps that's what he intended for to happen. He wanted it to end, to end this pain. It was impossible for them to be together. It was wrong. So then, if it was wrong, why did he feel his heart shattering when he saw her run? Without knowing it, he pushed Lunamaria off of him; his body seemed to have a mind of its own as he start to move forward.

A hand stopped him. "Let her go."

For some reason, her words angered him. "I'm sorry Luna…" He shoved her hands off of him. And at that exact moment, she realized, no matter how much she loved him, he wasn't hers to have.

Picking up his shirt off the floor, Shinn rushed after her. He didn't know why. Maybe this was the ideal break up, to hurt her as much as possible. To cause her so much pain that she would eventually forget about him. It was the same way her family caused him pain. It was logical, it was right. If it was right, then why does it feel so wrong? He saw her go into the elevator. He heard himself call her name, but she didn't stop, she kept going. The doors shut, and he had the dreadful feeling that this was going to be the last time that he sees her. He rushed towards the entrance of the elevator, pressing on the down button with frustration. One second seemed like an hour. The elevator failed to satisfy his needs. He took the stairs.

When he had finally succeeded in reaching the main floor, he found that she had already left the front door. He ran after her and found her rushing through the streets. He called again. She continued to ignore him. He caught a hold of her wrist, stopping her in her track. She was trembling. Shinn wanted hold her, to tell her he was sorry, to beg for forgiveness. But he didn't. He _couldn't._

It had to end.

"Why?" Her voice was pleading. She wanted him to comfort her, wanted him to tell her it was all right. As long as he says it was a mistake, she was willing to forgive him, even if it was a lie. "Why Shinn?"

"Because I am tired of you." He finally found his voice. He had to end it.

_Please leave me before I break._

He loosened his grip, knowing she wouldn't try and escape anymore. He was lying; he knew he wasn't telling the truth. His mind screamed at him to stop, but it was already too late. "I hate the way people look at us." He began, his voice hardening. "I hate always being second best to you." He watched her expression change.

_Please leave me. I don't want to see you hurt._

"Did you really think I would fall for somebody like you? Being with you only proved my theory. Rich bastards such as yourself know nothing but to rely on others." Shinn's left hand clenched into fists._'If I'm going to loose you, I'll hurt you so bad that you won't be able to look at me again.' _

_Please forget me. I love you. _

"Shinn…what are you saying…?" Her eyes were blank, as if she didn't believe his words. Memories flashed before her mind. The night her mother slept with another man was much like the image in front of her. It was the same scene, the exact same thing her mother had said to her father that night.

'_I want a divorce.' _

"I want to break up." Shinn's actions mirrored her mother's.

It was like a replayed nightmare. She stared at him, horror stricken. The memory of that night repeated itself over and over again in her mind. She held her hands to her ears, as if trying to block out a horrible noise. Her expression turned showed insanity, as if she was seeing ghosts everywhere. "No!" She screamed.

He frowned. Something was wrong. "Ayame."

"No!" Her actions mirrored her father's. She took quick steps backwards, as if trying to run from her past.

Right into the open streets.

"Ayame!" His voice was on alert. He was too late.

All she saw was the headlights of a speeding convertible, then…darkness.

* * *

Haruka: Dum dum dum!!! Yes, I know, I'm evil. Buwaahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha!!!! It seems as though my beta reader died...since he/she never got back to me. YES! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! GRRRRRR!!!! Ok, I'm done being an idiot. Review! It'll be YOUR Christmas present to me! Except, well, like I said, it's not really Christmas. Want to know what I REALLY want for Christmas? JJ Lin! If you guys kidnap him for me, I bet it'll help me update faster! -hint hint- He is currently my prime marrying target right now. I'm creepy, I know. 


	8. Pain

AN: Hey guys, I know this is really late, but I've been having writer's block. Too much lack of inspiration in life. --; I need to find myself a boyfriend. LOL! Anyways, here it is!! Don't forget to review!

* * *

Chapter Eight

Pain

"_She won't be able to play again."_

_"Did you hear?"_

"_They said her whole arm was crushed."_

_"What happened?"_

_"Yea. What happened?"_

Funny how fast words travelled around the school. A couple of weeks ago, Shinn would have strolled down the hallways and nobody would have recognized him, now it was hard for him to go anywhere without hearing the whispers of his fellow classmates. It's been two weeks since the incident. Ayame had been monitored closely for a period of time, and was then moved to intensive care. Although her wounds were healing nicely, she still hasn't regained consciousness since the day of the accident.

Though Shinn had been trying to keep a low profile, from time to time, some of the boys from school would still cause problems for him. To them, he was still dating the famous Ayame Kashino. Little did they know; he hadn't seen her since the night of the ambulance. His friends were beginning to speculate, although none approached, he was sure that Lunamaria would spill sooner or later.

Speaking of Lunamaria, he had been avoiding her. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her; he just wasn't exactly sure how to communicate with her after all that's happened. And to top it off, the guilt was getting to him. He hurt two girls. He kept telling himself that the Kashino family was getting what they deserved. For a while it worked, until he thought back to the bloody shirt in his laundry room, still untouched, and unwashed. It served as a reminder to him every time he entered that room.

They were _her _blood.

He didn't mean for it to happen.

He loved her.

After all that's happened, he was finally able to admit that he fell head over heels for her. Their love, however, was forbidden. Even if Shinn _could_ bring himself to love her, every time he thought back to the family that had passed away because of what her parents did, he would immediately restrain himself. How long would their love survive? A year? Maybe two? At one point or another, he would regret his decision; only then it would be harder to break it off with her. Because he would have sunk too deep under her spell, and would eventually come to hate her for all that she was.

Still, he didn't mean for it to happen.

He loved her too much.

* * *

He sat there for the longest time that morning, _appearing _calm and collected. It was all an act. His father had taught him well. In the world of business, emotions only got in the way of judgement. Yet the issue in front of him wasn't related to pure judgement alone. Why he hasn't visited the girl since he went aboard to America was still a mystery to everyone, maybe even to himself. All he knew was that he hated this place, couldn't stand the left over memories that were threatening to resurface. Surely he would go insane if he were to stay there any longer.

Hotoshi Kashino watched his sister's lifeless form. His hands rested on her heavily bandaged arm. He believed he made the right decision. The surgery was necessary to save her life, though it meant that she would never be able to play the piano again.

He frowned. He was almost certain that something like this would happen, yet he was too scared, too selfish to prevent it from occurring. He was certain that this was the likes of _that_ man. So naturally, it didn't came shock when Nicol told him what happened. Getting what that man wanted by using a boy, however, was beyond Hotoshi's imagination. He glanced down at his sister. She never mentioned the boy.

"When did you stop talking to me?" He wondered out loud.

"Hotoshi-san." He looked up and watched as his secretary waltzed into the room. They'd cancelled every major meeting of that month. Surely, it would cause a big set back in his assets, but it was a worthy price for his ignorance of his family. "I brought you the file."

Hotoshi extended his hand in acceptance for the Shinn Asuka's history records. For a moment, he paused in wonder. Did he really want to know who he was? From what he heard, Shinn Asuka was a nobody; he was only someone who settled in her world because of a mere scholarship. Yet this thing, this imperfect human, was enough to shatter _their_ world. He set the file aside; he would look at it, later perhaps.

All was silent except for the soft clicking of the heels of his secretary as she made her way down the hall once again. Another knock at the door caught his attention. Hotoshi looked up, and found, to his surprise, a face he was all too familiar with. Athrun entered with a dozen roses in his hands. Hotoshi looked up into Athrun's handsome features. He still couldn't understand the reason behind the break up. His sister was a sensible person. So why? Why would she choose Shinn over Athrun?

"Good afternoon, Athrun-kun." He greeted. The older boy's eyes travelled from his sister's body to the ex-boyfriend, who now entered the room. He frowned. It was part of this man's fault.

"Good afternoon." Athrun took a long look at the man, observing him carefully. "Hotoshi-nii-san."

* * *

They sat staring at each other for the whole afternoon, each unable to find the right words to say to one and another. Lunamaria was angry with herself, angry that she wasn't able to see the truth behind it all before things went out of hand. She felt at fault for Ayame's injuries. Rei sat across from her, wondering if he should question away. Luna was on the couch that night when he came home, poorly dressed. Though he already guessed what happened, he wanted to find out for certain.

"Luna-"

"I slept with Shinn." Lunamaria blurted out. She couldn't take it any longer.

They stayed up all night that night. When Shinn returned that morning, drenched in blood and looking pale, they assumed that something had happened, yet was too afraid to ask him, for he looked like he killed someone. Shinn locked himself up in his room that day, and they waited silently by his side, until he was ready to reveal the situation.

He never spoke.

He refused to speak on the matter. They found out what happened in school the next day, and Lunamaria had been feeling like shit ever since. It was their fault. She saw her there that night, _his_ girlfriend. And then, she understood. When they made love that night, it was simply a show for her. Shinn wanted to hurt her, wanted to make her run, wanted to end it all. What she couldn't understand was why? Shinn went through so much trouble just to be with her, he even gave up his education for her, so why? Why was he giving up on her now?

"I loved him. Always have." Lunamaria spoke slowly. "We were the best of friends, but then _she_ showed up, and everything changed." Tears began to slide down her face. "I guess you never know how important someone is to you, until you loose them, huh?"

"Luna…" Rey trailed off. For the first time in his life, he was out of things to say.

"But he loves her. I saw it in his eyes that night." She smiled sadly, still with tears sliding uncontrollability from her face. "You know, some people live their whole lives without knowing the meaning of love." She paused, a sad smile formed on her lips. "I'm satisfied. Even if my love was never returned, I'm satisfied knowing that I've experienced love, and am capable of loving another. I just wish…that he saw me instead."

And without knowing what he was doing, Rey reached out and pulled her into a hug. "Stupid girl." He too, began to cry.

* * *

They crossed path by some freak accident that same afternoon, and stopped dead in their tracks. Shinn hadn't gotten the chance to properly look at the boy when Nicol launched at him with a punch straight to the jaws that sent him tumbling back, wiping blood from the corner of his lips moments later. Still, Shinn didn't look at the boy, knowing fully well he received what he deserved. He tried to move forward. Again, Nicol took a hold of him, yet this time; it wasn't to punish him for the accident, but to stop him before he gets away. He grabbed a hold of the collar of Shinn's school uniform and pinned him to the wall.

"Why haven't you gone to see her?" Nicol demanded.

Shinn was silent. Then, all of a sudden, he threw Nicol's hands. He wanted nothing more to do with these rich brats. "Fuck off! I don't need you to question what I did or didn't do."

Nicol was stunned. He couldn't believe his ears. It was as though all the innocence he once saw in the ruby-eyed boy was washed away, and standing there before him was nothing but a hallowed body, of what used to be the boy he trusted. In another moment, Shinn had began to walk, wanting to get away from that place as soon as possible, wanting not to remember what had happened that night, and, wanting to get away from the memories of _her_.

"She's dieing…" Nicol trailed off, watching for any hence of reaction on Shinn's face. There was an odd little twitch on the corner of Shinn's lips. If Nicol hadn't been observing the boy carefully, he might have missed it. "They said she might not wake up from the coma. You should see her, while you still can."

Shinn said nothing. He couldn't find his voice. His mind was a mess. He continued to walk aimlessly, his shoulder brushed against Nicol's as he left. He wanted to get away, _needed_ to get away. Yet no matter how hard he tried to forget, Nicol's voice haunted him. Shinn felt like he was going to cave any moment. He couldn't go see her. She was the enemy. But if that were really the truth, then how come it felt like he was lying to himself?

He skipped class for the rest of the day, unable to concentrate. The guilt was haunting him. His mind was a raging mess. He hid himself on the third floor music room, where he could think clearly without any disturbance. He thought about her, all he was able to think was about her. She was pale and bleeding bad when he left her. He didn't wait around for the results of the surgery. The scene reminded him too much of when his family passed away. It was the same; she was going to leave him the same way.

* * *

"How is your father? Athrun-kun?" The older boy asked; his manner was business like.

Athrun hesitated for a moment, wondering what the Kashino had up his sleeves. "Fine. Thank you."

Hotoshi Kashino was unlike his sister in so many ways, yet similar in many others. Ayame was free, free to live her life the way she wanted; yet she was trapped in the horrors of her past. Hotoshi had long forgotten his past, and buried himself in his work.

One thing about Hotoshi that Athrun learned over the years was that the first born of the Kashino family does not ask needless questions. For a moment, there was silence. Neither spoke. Athrun stared down at his coffee. He felt Hotoshi's gaze burn into the top of his head.

"How did you two break up?" The question came, as expected.

Again, Athrun hesitated. He had been asking himself the same question. He chose his words carefully. "I guess we weren't right for each other."

Hotoshi faked an amused chuckle. "You are the son of the Zala Empire. She is the daughter of the Kashino throne. Trust me, you are right for each other." Hotoshi took a sip of his coffee. He glanced over the top of his cup and saw Athrun frowning. "Or did you think Attha-san was more…how should I put it? Your type?"

Athrun's gip on his coffee mug tightened. Hotoshi was taunting him. He knew his father would never approve, which was the very reason why Athrun gave up on their relationship in the first place. They weren't right for each other from a family perspective, for the Zalas and Atthas had been fierce business competitors since the beginning. Allowing Athrun to befriend the son of the Attha Corp was already pushing Patrick Zala's buttons; surely a relationship would throw him over the edge.

"No. That's not-"

Hotoshi ignored him. "I fully intend to keep my promise to your father about taking you to New York to study, you know that, right Athrun-kun?"

Athrun shifted his gaze from Hotoshi's face down to the coffee in his hands. Once again, his fate was decided for him His grip on the coffee mug was so tight; his knuckles had turned white. "Hai, Hotoshi-nii-san."

"Of course." Hotoshi smiled half-heartedly. "I'm also ready to _overlook_ some things, if necessary."

* * *

_The room was pitch black. It felt as though all the colour and emotions had been sucked out of this dimension. Though her eyes were open, she was still unable to see herself. She couldn't understand what had happened to her, couldn't feel anything ahead. All she could feel was the throbbing pain that shot through her body._

_How long had she been there?_

_It was like sitting in an invisible jail, yet she was out in the opening, alone and free. Suddenly, he appeared in her world, the boy with the emerald eyes. He seemed so familiar, yet she was unable to match him up with a name. He extended a pale hand, his blue hair drifted in the wind. His smile was so calm and inviting, it was as though he wanted her to follow him out of this dreadful place. She looked from him, to the hand that was extended to her, then back at him again. She was so tempted to go, to leave with him, to get away from this void forever. Yet something told her that if she were to leave with him, then she would never be able to return. _

_"Come Ayame."_

_What was his name? She couldn't remember the boy's name. He continued to smile, as if he'd known her all his life. She wanted to follow, needed to follow. She needed to get away from this place. The pain was almost unbearable. Every inch of her body ached with sorrow; she wanted to leave this dreadful world. _

"Don't go."

_Suddenly, there was another voice. She turned to look, yet found no one. He sounded sincere, as if he didn't want her to leave him. And although she was tempted to go, she couldn't. He needed her, just like she needed him._

* * *

Nobody was around when he entered the hospital room. It was his chance. He didn't want anybody to know he was there. He had argued with himself long enough to know he can't win. So he came to see the enemy. He had every possible reason to hate her, to want to punish her for the things her family did. She was the reason why he was alone in this world. Yet no matter how hard he forced himself to think that way, he couldn't help but admit that she was the reason that he was no longer lonely.

Shinn's eyes softened at the sight of her. She was sleeping so peacefully. She didn't look injured at all, yet felt his stomach doing flip-flops when he saw her arm. Ayame loved the piano, she was talented, and now, she was stripped of the right to make music. And it was his fault; he knew it was his fault. In doing what he did, he had signed her death sentence.

He sat down by her side. "I can't forgive your family for what they did." He said slowly. "I can't forgive you for what you did either." He lowered himself towards her, taking in her facial features, wanting to remember every inch of her. "Your family stole my parents' lives." And without knowing it, tears began to slide down his face. "You can't leave until your debt is repaid." He lowered his face. His nose was touching hers now. His tears trailed from his jaws and slid down to her cheeks. "Don't go…" His voice sounded strained, as if he was struggling to get the words out, words he thought he would never say to her.

Perhaps it was god's miracle, or perhaps he had too much tragedy in life, it was due time to balance it out. But when he reopened his eyes once again, he found another pair staring straight up at him, looking as confused as ever. Shinn pulled back, dumb founded. He didn't know what to say or how to react, all he knew was that he was glad, glad that she was alive. It was as though his body had a mind of its own, and before he knew what he was doing, he reached down, and pulled her into a hug.

"Who…are you?" He heard her soft words. His eyes widened.

And just like that, his miracle was once again, diminished.

* * *

AN: Ok...I think next chapter is going to be the last chapter! Yay!! Aren't you guys glad that it's finally over?? You won't have to deal with my inability to update any longer!!

* * *


End file.
